NEW DELHI: The Government is considering a proposal for providing better air connectivity in the northeast, based on hub-and-spoke operationsout of Guwahati. The initial response of the Planning Commission to the proposal, prepared by the Bangalore-based public sector Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), has been encouraging.

The proposal and a presentation prepared by HAL were submitted to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh last week by Union Minister of State for Commerce Jairam Ramesh. Dr. Singh has asked Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee to examine and "take it forward." The proposal is also being forwarded to Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel.

Cross-subsidy

In his initial comments, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman M.S. Ahluwalia favoured creation of a separate airline for the northeast that is effectively subsidised by mainstream airlines, which have been exempted from achieving direct connectivity. Ways of achieving this kind of cross-subsidy could be worked out, he said.

Making out a case for Dornier-based operations, HAL says small, short haul and turbo-prop aircraft would be needed for effective operations in the northeast. This requirement can be met with 19-seater DO-228 aircraft manufactured by HAL.

As surface transport in the far-flung region is time-consuming and roads get washed out by floods, better air connectivity remains the only alternative. Vayudoot, a feeder airline with Dornier fleet, started operations in the 1980s and early 1990s but could not sustain itself. HAL feels that DO-228, though of the mid-1980s design, is a rugged and reliable aircraft and can immediately provide a solution, with its total product support, for easy connectivity in the northeast. The aircraft can operate from a small airfield, a large number of which are available in the region. It is being successfully used by the Navy, the Coast Guard and the Air Force.

At present there is no air link to Arunachal Pradesh and services reach only 11 airports, where medium-size turbo-prop ATR or Jet aircraft such as Boeing 737 and Airbus A-320 operate. Dornier-228 can easily take off from and land on all airports in the northeast. It can cover city pairs up to 300 km apart in about an hour. The aircraft is being used by the state-owned Indian and the private carrier Jagson Airlines. Others of its class — Metro-23, Beech-1900D, Jetstream-31 and LET-410 — are available only as "used or second-hand" aircraft and can pose problems in maintenance and product support.

The 19-seater aircraft can ensure higher occupancy and operational economy even on low-density routes. Most of the northeastern air routes are within a 300-km radius of Guwahati, which can be used as a hub for mounting Dornier-based operations.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail