India’s Alliance Air finalises Arunachal Pradesh Do228 plans

Alliance Air (India) (9I, Mumbai Int’l) has finalised plans to lease two Do228s from Hindustan Aeronautics (Bangalore HAL) following the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in February this year.

The Air India (AI, Mumbai Int’l) subsidiary, which is not part of its parent’s ongoing privatisation process, will deploy the Dornier on the Indian government’s subsidised Regional Connectivity Scheme (UDAN) routes in the mountainous state of Arunachal Pradesh in northeastern India. Among the towns to be served include Pasighat and Tezu in the first phase with Mechuka, Tuting, Vijaynagar, and Ziro to follow in the second phase. Dirang and Daporijo will be connected in the third phase.

According to the Deccan Herald, some of the landing strips are situated close to the border with China and Myanmar and have remained unused since the 1962 Sino-Indian War. While they were recently refurbished by the Indian Defence Ministry in order to bolster India’s defence preparedness along the China border, local residents demanded that civilian terminals be constructed as well.

Once delivered, the 19-seat Dorniers will be Alliance Air’s first non-Avions de Transport Régional turboprops given its fleet consists of eighteen ATR72-600s.