Arunachal Pradesh gets its first commercial aircraft service

The long-cherished dream of having air-connectivity of the proper order of the people of Arunachal Pradesh was today fulfilled with flagging off of the first fixed-wing commercial aircraft from Pasighat to Guwahati by Chief Minister Pema Khandu here today.

"Today is a historic day and I congratulate the people of Arunachal in general and people of Pasighat in particular for this new milestone that would remain engraved in history as a huge step in the development of our state," said Khandu in a simple ceremony at the civilian terminal of the Pasighat airport.

On persuasion of the state government after Khandu came to hold the mantle, the Air India Ltd agreed to start ATR-42 services of Alliance Air to Pasighat from Gopinath Bordoloi airport at Guwahati, connecting the state with rest of the country.

Khandu profusely thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Minister for Civil Aviation and officials of the ministry for fast-tracking the project. "With Modiji at the helm and his concern in the sector of connectivity for the North East has enabled us to fulfill a dream," he said.