Helicopter & Small Aircraft Summit

Conrad calls for expanding the horizon of air connectivity

Shillong, Nov 15: The “6th Helicopter & Small Aircraft Summit 2024”, a first-of-its-kind aviation summit held in the North East, was inaugurated by chief minister Conrad K Sangma in Shillong on Thursday.

The summit, organised by Pawan Hans Ltd and FICCI with support of Civil Aviation Ministry and state government, aims at expanding the scope of the helicopter as well as small aircraft sector across the country. 

In his address, the chief minister said, “Shillong is the right place to hold such a summit because our terrain requires the use of small aircraft and helicopters for air travel and other socio economic activities.”

He further said when it comes to connectivity and its issues that the North-Eastern Region faces, particularly Meghalaya; air travel plays a very important role in achieving the wide gamut of goals that the state is striving towards. 

Underlining the need to expand the horizon in terms of connectivity, he said, “A flight from Shillong to Dhaka is less than 30 minutes, Shillong to Bangkok would be roughly 1 hour 15 minutes and certain capitals of many countries in South East Asia are closer than our national capital. It takes two and a half hours to travel to Delhi but it is shorter for us to travel from Shillong to Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Burma, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan and many other locations.”

“If we were to broaden our horizons to the entire Act East Zone, we would see the real potential in this entire exercise and can leverage this to our advantage to boost Tourism, Medical Assistance, Trade, Logistics and other major socio economic activities,” he said.

Calling for support from all stakeholders, including investors, technical experts, and service providers, he said, “The Government will handhold in the initial stages and provide continued support to bring about a convergence in all sectors to achieve the goal of an efficient and vibrant aviation ecosystem in the state and the region.”

Recognising the transformative changes brought by the UDAN scheme, he said, “I am excited for the UDAN Scheme version 5.5 for seaplanes and helicopters, as this scheme is one of the most important schemes in the North East.”

The event was attended by various stakeholders from the helicopter and small aircraft industry, including operators, OEMs, MRO providers, regulators, Financing & Leasing companies, and the representatives from different state governments.

Hot this week

Pay hike of Assam ministers, MLAs likely as 3-member panel submits report

Full report likely by Oct 30 Guwahati Sept 25: There...

Meghalaya man missing in Bangkok

Shillong, Jan 10: A 57-year-old Meghalaya resident, Mr. Treactchell...

Meghalaya Biological Park Inaugurated After 25 Years: A New Chapter in Conservation and Education

Shillong, Nov 28: Though it took nearly 25 years...

ANSAM rejects Kuki’s separate administration demand, says bifurcation not acceptable

Guwahati, Sept 8: Rejecting the separate administration demand of...

Meghalaya’s historic fiber paves the way for eco-friendly products and sustainable livelihoods

By Roopak Goswami Shillong, Oct 25: From making earbuds to...

Health dept warns of action in case of ‘clinical negligence’

Shillong, June 6: The Health department has warned of...

Family of Assam woman killed in Meghalaya road mishap demands probe

Guwahati/ Shillong, Jun 6: Family of a 25-year-old Assam...

JSU seeks CUET centre at Jowai

Shillong, June 6: Keeping in view the recent trouble...

MHRC notice on death of pregnant woman, unborn child

Shillong, June 6: The Meghalaya Human Rights Commission (MHRC)...

Conrad outlines roadmap to add 40,000 ha green cover in state

Shillong, June 6: Chief minister Conrad K Sangma has...

DRI seizes ₹16 crore worth of meth tablets in Mizoram; 2 arrested

Guwahati, June 6: In a major crackdown on drug...
spot_img

Related Articles

Popular Categories

spot_imgspot_img