Alliance Air's Dornier D-28 aircraft lands successfully at Ziro ALG in Arunachal Pradesh after multiple failures

After a couple of failed attempts, a 17-seater Dornier D-28 aircraft of Alliance Air makes a successful landing attempt at Ziro ALG airport in Arunachal Pradesh.

Arunachal Pradesh is a state of treacherous terrain. While the state offers roads of mixed variety, it also has airports of varied levels of severity. The state’s Ziro ALG airport is one of the most dangerous airports in the country, due to its short runway. The airport once catered to daily flights operated by Vayudoot and Air India. However, it is now being redeveloped to be operational again, and after a couple of failed landing trials, a Dornier D-28 aircraft of Alliance Air made a successful landing attempt at the Ziro ALG in Lower Subansiri district on Thursday.

The 17-seater aircraft, being operated by Alliance Air, landed at the Advance Landing Ground at 12.30 PM with four persons on board, including two pilots, one cabin crew and a senior flight operation inspector from the director general of civil aviation, District Information and Public Relation Officer (DIPRO) Gyati Kacho said.

Officials of Alliance Air and DGCA interacted with the district administration on the successful test landing and also on the next plan for operating commercial service to Ziro from Mohonbari and Hollongi Airports.

It is the third destination of fixed wing operation in the state with ATR-72 and Dornier D - 228 flights already in operation at Pasighat and Tezu airports under the Centre's UDAN scheme.

Taking to Twitter, Chief Minister Pema Khandu said, “Extremely delighted to share the successful test landing of Dornier flight of @alianceair at Ziro advance landing ground today.”

“I had promised to my sisters & brothers of Lower Subansiri district to have regular flights for Dibrugarh from Ziro. The wait is going to be over now!” Khandu said in another tweet.

The terminal building of the Ziro ALG, which has all the facilities to run the commercial service, was inaugurated by Khandu on September 26.

The state government plans to start Donier D-228 service to Mechuka and Tuting in Shi-Yomi and Upper Siang districts soon, the official added.

With inputs from PTI