UDAN scheme: A new route connecting Dimapur to Guwahati takes off

A new route under the government’s flagship programme UDAN was connected in the North-East as a new flight was flagged off from Dimapur airport

Guwahati: A new route under the government's flagship programme UDAN was connected in the North-East on Saturday as a new flight was flagged off from Dimapur airport. The new UDAN route connects Dimapur and Imphal to Guwahati, a press release from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) said. The flight is being operated by Alliance Air, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Air India.

The new flight was flagged off Paiwang Konyak, state minister for transport and civil aviation, Nagaland, on Saturday in the presence of Alliance Air CEO from Dimapur Airport. Kaushal Kumar, AAI General Manager, M Zimho, Airport Director of Dimapur airport and several other dignitaries were also present.

UDAN flight frequency and timings

Direct flight operations connecting Imphal to Dimapur onwards to Guwahati began from Saturday. This is an UDAN route under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) with thrice-weekly flights on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The airline will deploy its 70-seater aircraft on this route.

Flight 9I 741 will depart from Guwahati at 08:00 hrs and arrive in Dimapur at 08:555 hrs, further departing at 09:20 hrs and arrive in Imphal at 10:10 hrs. Flight 9I 742 will depart from Imphal at 10:35 hrs and arrive in Dimapur at 1125hrs further departing at 11:50hrs and arrive in Guwahati at 12:45hrs. All inclusive one-way fares from Dimapur, Imphal and vice versa start from Rs 1,811.

First-ever option of swift connectivity

This flight will provide first-ever option of swift connectivity to Imphal, as till now, Imphal is not connected to India's railway network. The closest railway station for now is Dimapur station in Nagaland. Getting to Imphal is almost a 7-hour bus ride from Dimapur station. Also, with this flight, onward connectivity from Dimapur to Guwahati and from Guwahati to Bangalore, Delhi, Kolkata is feasible.

Imphal is world-famous for this flower

Imphal is world-famous for Sambal-Lei-Sepkil flower featured in the Guinness Book of Records in 1999. Tourists often visit the Sambal- Lei-Sekpil garden to see the same. Also Ima Keithal, a 500-year-old market in Imphal is possibly the only market in the world run entirely by women. Apart from the super spicy local chilli known as 'Umorok,' preparations of bamboo delicacies are very famous in Imphal.

As per Air India, Alliance Air currently connects 57 destinations, with the addition of Dimapur and Imphal, there will be 59 stations in the airline's basket.