IndiGo airline to start fights from Donyi Polo Airport to Delhi and Mumbai from November 28

Arunachal Pradesh's Donyi Polo Airport is the first civil airport in the state and aims to improve the connectivity of the state with flights for metro cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, and others.

Image for representation

IndiGo will start operating commercial flights from the newly built Donyi Polo Airport, Arunachal Pradesh's first civil airport, on November 28. Except on Wednesday, flights will run every day from Hollongi, which is around 15 kilometres from Itanagar, to Mumbai and Kolkata. On Wednesdays, a weekly flight service will launch on December 3 between Hollongi and Kolkata. It is to be noted that the airport in the North Eastern region of India was recently completed and is now set to begin flight operations to connect metro cities.

"We are pleased to announce Itanagar (Hollongi), s the 75th destination on the 6E network. This will be IndiGo's first destination in Arunachal Pradesh," Chief Strategy and Revenue Officer of IndiGo, Sanjay Kumar, said in a statement.

This is in line with the carrier's vision to enhance connectivity in the Northeast, it said. These flights are designed to cater to business and leisure travellers who are constantly on the lookout for new and affordable flying options to access destinations that are known for their tourist attractions, Kumar said.

Developed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) at an estimated cost of Rs 645 crore, the Donyi Polo Airport is designed to be a greenfield one with eight check-in counters, and it will be able to accommodate 200 passengers during peak hours.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will likely inaugurate the airport in November. At present, there is no airport near Itanagar, the closest one being Lilabari Airport, 80 km away in Assam's North Lakhimpur district. There are a few advanced landing grounds (ALGs) in the state, including in Pasighat and Tezu.

The Donyi Polo Airport will have a 2,300-metres-long runway suitable for landing and take-off of Boeing 747. Spread over a 4,100 sq m area, the airport will be equipped with all modern facilities for passengers. The airport's naming reflects the indigenous people's reverence or of the Sun (Donyi) and the Moon (Polo), symbolising the rich cultural heritage of the tribal-dominated state.