After the sharp increase in airfares and declining flight in Manipur, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has approved two new daily flights, and Air India Express has decided to cap fares on the Imphal-Guwahati route at Rs 6,000.
Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla appealed to the Centre for urgent intervention to restore and enhance air connectivity from Imphal, particularly to Guwahati and Kolkata.
The Raj Bhavan in a social media post on Tuesday said that following Bhalla’s letter to Union civil aviation minister K.R. On October 30, Air India Express “has decided to cap fares for the Imphal–Guwahati sector at Rs 6,000 and will soon operate two additional daily flights — one to Guwahati and another to Kolkata.”
The post also said it would appreciate the aviation ministry and the airline for responding promptly to the connectivity concerns of Manipur, and would share information on the new flight schedules.
Bhalla said the drastic reduction in flight connectivity from Imphal has adversely affected mobility, causing immense hardship to the people of Manipur.
This decline is sharp in air services and this is quite alarming, causing immense hardship among the people, particularly considering the geographical and infrastructural challenges facing Manipur.
The letter also cited the lack of railway connectivity and unreliable road travel. Former chief minister N Biren Singh on Tuesday said in X, “Following the issue of high airfares and limited connectivity raised yesterday, and the subsequent meeting of Hon’ble MLA @Susindro with the Secretary of Civil Aviation in Delhi, I have been informed by senior officials from the Ministry that two new flights will be added at earliest, one each on the Imphal-Guwahati and Imphal-Kolkata routes.
The Ministry is also working to cap the maximum airfare at around Rs7000, which will bring much-needed relief to travellers. This development reflects the commitment of the central leadership to address the genuine concerns of the people of Manipur in a timely and positive manner”.
