Itanagar: The Donyi Polo greenfield airport in Arunachal Pradesh has been granted an all-weather licence by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), paving the way for night flights from the facility.

Making the announcement on X (formerly Twitter), Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu wrote that this development has unlocked the “possibility for night landings” in the frontier state.

“This achievement marks a giant leap towards ensuring a seamless air connectivity to the state, and also opening newer avenues for growth”, Khandu added in his post, to which he attached the DGCA's notification amending the aerodrome licence for the Arunachal airport.

The Donyi Polo airport, located some 14 km from the capital Itanagar, is located in Hollongi in the Papum Pare district of the Northeast Indian state. Construction started on December 15, 2020, and the airport was inaugurated by the Prime Minister on November 19, 2022. Constructed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) at an estimated cost of Rs 645 crore, the airport can accommodate 200 passengers during peak hours.

The airport, which is the 16th in the Northeast Indian region, connects Arunachal Pradesh to several larger cities such as Guwahati, Mumbai, Delhi, and Kolkata. At the same time, it also serves as a connecting line between the state capital and the two other Arunachal airports at Ziro and Pasighat.

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