Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Viksit Bharat vision, emphasizing its role in achieving Viksit Manipur’s objectives. He inaugurated SpiceJet’s direct flight services from Imphal to Guwahati, Kolkata, and Mumbai at Bir Tikendrajit International Airport. Singh highlighted the importance of air travel in the current scenario and urged the airline to ensure affordable airfares for passengers.
The Chief Minister personally handed the first passenger’s boarding pass for the SpiceJet flight to Guwahati during the launch event. The program was attended by various officials, including Congress Lok Sabha member Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, MLAs Tongbram Robindro Singh and Khashim Vashum, and representatives from SpiceJet and the Airports Authority of India. Manipur’s government has been advocating to the Ministry of Civil Aviation to address high airfares on Imphal routes and increase flight options.
Additional Chief Secretary Anurag Bajpai engaged with MoCA officials to address the air travel challenges faced by Manipur residents. He raised concerns about the excessive airfares by airlines like IndiGo, Air India Express, and Alliance Air, which were significantly higher than in other northeastern states. Bajpai also highlighted the non-compliance with airfare capping guidelines in the Imphal sector and the reduction in the number of flights since October.
Alliance Air’s discontinuation of services on vital routes like Imphal-Silchar, Imphal-Aizawl, and Imphal-Dibrugarh was noted, with a plea to MoCA for their prompt reinstatement. The state government requested reconsideration of these routes under the RCS-UDAN scheme due to public demand for improved air connectivity.
