GUWAHATI: The Ministry of Defence has taken up with prospective air operators a proposal for reintroducing in the northeast region the Dornier-228 aircraft, indigenously built by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), for establishing a new air network.

Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee, in a recent letter to the Union Minister of State for Commerce Jairam Ramesh, said the feedback from the operators would indicate the possibilities in this regard.

Mr. Ramesh had earlier forwarded HAL's proposal to Mr. Mukherje for clearance by the Defence Ministry.

Mr. Mukherjee wrote that the proposal had been discussed with the representatives of Ministry of Civil Aviation, Directorate General of Civil Aviation and the HAL. The HAL submitted a proposal and made a presentation to the Ministry of Commerce for the reintroduction of the Dornier-228 (DO-228) aircraft in the northeast region, following a query by Mr. Ramesh during a visit to HAL in Bangalore.

"Recognising the necessity for improving air transportation in the northeast, the matter is being taken up with prospective operators to start operations with indigenously available Dornier-228 aircraft from HAL. The feedback from the operators will indicate the possibilities in this regard.

"HAL is ready to provide the required number of aircraft for this purpose. You may also like to ascertain whether any funding can be made available by the NEC (North Eastern Council) for this purpose," wrote Mr. Mukherjee in his letter to Mr. Ramesh.

The HAL in its presentation on the effectiveness of the DO-228 aircraft had stated that effective air operations in the northeast require small, short haul and turbo-prop aircraft which could be best met by this 19-seater aircraft.

The DO-228 was extensively utilised by Vayudoot in the northeast during the Eighties and early Nineties and catered to 18 airports of the region, including five in Arunachal Pradesh, with hubs in Kolkata and Guwahati. At present, air service is available in 11 airports, while there is no service to Arunachal Pradesh.

In a letter to Mr. Ramesh, HAL Chairman, Ashok K. Baweja, wrote that "one of the prime reasons for selecting DO-228 was to develop the northeast sector with the help of this platform as a cost-effective solution for connectivity, the other being, use by our armed forces for maritime surveillance and commuter roles."

Mr. Baweja also wrote that Vayudoot started operations with this objective initially but apparently could not sustain operations.

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