Assam’s overseas Udan plan has few takers
Domestic airlines, except AirAsia India, are cold to the Assam government’s proposal to start international services from Guwahati.
The state government has asked the civil aviation ministry to introduce a policy, on the lines of its regional connectivity scheme, to connect Assam with south-east Asian countries. It has offered ~1 billion in incentive to airlines to support its efforts. However, the plan has received lukewarm response from airlines.
Druk Air of Bhutan is the only airline offering international flights to and from Guwahati. The airline operates twice weekly flights from Paro to Bangkok via Guwahati.
In 2017, total international traffic to and from Guwahati was a little over 90,000, equivalent to around 250 passengers daily. Dubai, Bangkok, Paro, Muscat and Doha are the top destinations from Guwahati.
National carrier Air India, which also has the largest share of India’s international traffic, said it was not evaluating overseas routes from Guwahati due to resource constraints.
An IndiGo spokesperson said there was no plan at the moment for an international service from Guwahati. “We do not have any immediate plans, but there could be opportunities in connecting Guwahati with Kathmandu or Dhaka,” Jet Airways executive said. Vistara said it was premature to comment on its overseas routes. GoAir and SpiceJet did not respond to emails.
In February, AirAsia India chief executive officer Amar Abrol met Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal to discuss growth opportunities in the region.
A few airlines, including AirAsia India, Flydubai and Novoair of Bangladesh have expressed interest in launching international services from Guwahati.
But these airlines will not be able to launch services unless there is a change in norms and revision in air service agreements between India and Dubai and between India and Bangladesh. The International Chamber for Service Industry has requested the central government to remove the 20 aircraft rule for carriers ready to connect the north-east region to south-east Asia and allow for limited open skies to promote international connectivity from Guwahati.
Currently AirAsia India has 17 planes and it needs a minimum 20 aircraft to start overseas services.
Another issue is of access and slots. “None of the SAARC countries has signed an open sky agreement with India. IndiGo has been unable to secure slots at Dhaka airport for two years and these could be hurdles for international Udan,” an aviation expert observed.
Ravi Capoor, additional chief secretary (industries and commerce), Assam government, argues that the current traffic data does not reflect the true demand. “The international traffic figure is depressed because local residents do not have any option of non-stop flights from Guwahati.”
“The flying time from Guwahati to south-east Asia and Bhutan, Bangladesh and Nepal is less than two hours. But in the absence of direct flights, people from Assam have to travel via Kolkata. It makes sense for Guwahati to be developed as a hub. We have proposed an Udan-like scheme for international flights and are discussing the proposal with various airlines,” he said.
“The Udan scheme for international operations is under consideration and we are working out the modalities,” said a senior civil aviation ministry official.