Guwahati: Northeast India will be connected to four more international destinations after the central government gave its nod under the regional air connectivity scheme ‘Udan.’

Airfares on these new routes – Guwahati-Bangkok, Guwahati-Dhaka, Imphal-Mandalay, and Agartala-Chattogram – will be subsidized. As Guwahati-Dhaka and Agartala-Chattogram are under 500 km and, they may cost travellers under Rs 4,000. These routes are expected to be operational in a few weeks.

In routes under the UDAN scheme, concerned states subsidize the fares. Launched in 2017, the UDAN seeks to make air travel affordable and improve economic development in India.

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) runs the bid process, selects airlines, and informs state governments about operators interested in offering service. As per reports, states offering regional air connectivity under the UDAN scheme have spent Rs 3,000 crores on subsidies in the last 7 years.

Airports Authority of India (AAI) executive director Anil Kumar Gupta said that these new routes have been approved as the concerned states made a demand.

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