Assam govt to hand over land to Civil Aviation Ministry by May 10 for expansion, modernisation of Airports
Apr 12, 2022
Lilabari (Assam) [India], April 13 : Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said that the state government will hand over the land to Civil Aviation Ministry by May 10 for the expansion and modernisation of Silchar, Jorhat, Dibrugarh, and Lakhimpur Airports.
Speaking on the inauguration of the Flying Training Organization (FTO) at Lilabari Airport in Assam's Lakhimpur district, Chief Minister Sarma termed the day a historic day for Assam. He said that after seven decades of India's independence for the first time a flying training organization was built and inaugurated in the Northeast region.
"The launch of Redbird Flight Training Academy at Lilabari Airport is a landmark development, which will always remain as a red-letter day in the aviation history of the region," Sarma said.
He said that it is one of the nine Flight Training Organisations started under Phase I of the Atmanirbhar Bharat initiative and the first in the Northeast.
He expressed his happiness about the fact that out of almost 100 flying training schools in India, the Redbird Flight Training Academy is the first in the Northeast region.
"The Government of Assam has recently handed over 84 acres of land for the development of basic strip and construction of isolation bay for the purpose," he said.
He said that nearly 200 pilots will be trained at the academy where 10 per cent of seats will be reserved to which Assam Government can sponsor aspirants from lower and lower-middle-class families.
"Assam government started the land acquisition process for Lakhimpur Airport, Dibrugarh Airport, Jorhat Airport and Silchar Airport. For expansion and modernisation of Silchar, Jorhat, Dibrugarh, and Lakhimpur Airport, the Government of Assam will hand over land to Civil Aviation Ministry by May 10, 2022, to mark the completion of one year of state government," he said.
"We have already completed the land acquisition process for the Airport at Silchar. Also, land acquisition for Dibrugarh Airport is almost over. For the land at Jorhat, I have released recently Rs.180 crore for this purpose. That means we are on the track and ready to hand over the land to the Civil Aviation Ministry by May 10, 2022," the Chief Minister added.
Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Tuesday inaugurated the Flying Training Organization (FTO) at Lilabari Airport in Assam's Lakhimpur district.
This is the first FTO of Northeast India.
Redbird Aviation has established the Flying Training School at Lilabari Airport with an aim to help the youths of the North-Eastern region in the aviation sector.
