Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal flagged off the first international flight connecting Guwahati and Dhaka- capital of Bangladesh — at Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International (LGBI) Airport here on Monday. The Spicejet flight is the first flight to be operated under International Air Connectivity Scheme (IACS) which would fly daily.

He asserted that direct air connectivity of Assam with all the capitals of South East Asian countries is the goal of state government.

Notably, the International Air Connectivity Scheme is the result of the Chief Minister’s request to the Centre to consider connecting Guwahati to the capitals of ASEAN and BBN countries through a scheme similar to the UDAN with viability gap funding whenever needed. 

Saying that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Central government has boosted the connectivity of the North East region, Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal asserted that direct air connectivity of Assam with all the capitals of South East Asian countries is the goal of the State government, stated a release.

Bangladesh Assistant High Commissioner in India, Shah Mohammad Tanvir Monsur hailed the historic moment of connectivity between the two regions and said now patients would travel to Guwahati from Bangladesh for treatment instead of other big cities and tourists from the country would also visit Assam and North East for experiencing the natural beauty here.

The Assam Government has committed 100 crore rupees per year for three years under viability gap funding. Another flight connecting Guwahati-Bangkok is also likely to be started in the next few months along with flights to Kathmandu, Yangon, Hanoi and Kuala Lumpur.