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Arunachal Pradesh, the land of the rising sun, is a state located in the North-East region of India. It is the remotest part of India. The rugged terrains of the state make transportation very difficult. The major airports of Arunachal Pradesh are Tezu Airport, Pasighat Airport, and Along Airport.
Tezu Airport
The first civilian airport operated in Arunachal Pradesh is Tezu airport. It is located in Tezu and operated by the Airports Authority of India. The airport was upgraded to handle airliners with twin engines and was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the 9th of February 2019. The Tezu airport is facilitated with a runway of 1500 metres, a 4200 square metre terminal building, an air traffic control tower, a parking lot, and a drainage system. It also offers a night landing facility.
Itanagar Airport
Itanagar airport, constructed by the Airports Authority of India, is a Greenfield airport. It is under construction at Hollongi. It is located in the district of Papum Pare in Arunachal Pradesh. It extends over an area of 320 hectares. Lilabari Airport in Assam is the nearest airport to the Itanagar Airport. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation of the Itanagar Airport project on the 9th of February, 2019. It is expected to be inaugurated on the 15th of August, 2022.
The Itanagar airport will be facilitated with a runway of 2,300 metres, a terminal building of an area of 5,100 square metres, a fire station, a technical block and an air traffic control tower. It will be suitable for parking two aircraft, measuring 115 metres by 106 metres. It will be able to handle about 200 passengers during peak hours.
Along Airport
Along Airport, located in Along town, is one of the major airports of Arunachal Pradesh. It is also called Aalo Airport. It is a military airport and is operated by the Indian Air Force. It has a runway of 1,120 metres. The airstrip was handed to the Ministry of Defence in June 2009 by the Government of Arunachal Pradesh, and a civil enclave has been proposed. In July 2011, a report was prepared and sent by the Airports Authority of India to the government of Arunachal Pradesh and the Indian Air Force. The report suggested the prerequisite of seven acres of land for the development of a civil enclave and the removal of obstructions around the airfield for secure flight operations. At present, no commercial flights are scheduled to this airport.
Along Airport is well connected with Assam by road. Likabali Airport in Assam is the nearest airport to the Along Airport. Its connectivity with Dibrugarh and Guwahati has been believed to be very useful.
Pasighat Airport
Pasighat Airport is another major airport in Arunachal Pradesh, with a runway of 2,060 metres. It is located near Along airport. The upgraded airstrip of the Pasighat Airport was inaugurated in August 2016 by Kiren Rijiju, the then Minister of State for Home Affairs, with the landing of the fighter jet of the Indian Air Force—Sukhoi Su-30.
The passenger terminal was built in 2017 and the civil enclave is operated by the Airport Authority of India at Pasighat. The commercial flight commenced on the 21st of May, 2018, from Guwahati to the Pasighat Airport. The passengers included the Chief Minister and the Deputy Chief Minister, Mr Pema Khandu and Mr Chowna Mein.
Ziro Airport
Ziro Airport, also named Zero Airport, is located in Ziro in Arunachal Pradesh. It is a civil as well as a military airport and is operated by the Airports Authority of India. It has a 1,195-metre long runway. Earlier, Airlines like Air India and Vayudoot were the daily flight operators to the Ziro Airport.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation (India) conducted a study on the improvement of the airport in the year 2008. The study concluded that it was not possible to extend the airstrip of the Ziro Airport to accommodate a 50-seater aircraft due to the presence of illegal construction along the boundaries of the airfield.
A new runway of 2,010 metres long along with the traffic control tower, fire station and terminal building was proposed to be built near the existing airport.
Conclusion
Most of the airports in Arunachal Pradesh belong to the military with a civil enclave. To travel to Arunachal Pradesh by flight, the airports in Assam are mostly preferred. Pasighat Airport, being one of the important passenger airfields, provides great connectivity to other parts of India to travel to Arunachal Pradesh by flight. At present, only the Tezu Airport and the Pasighat Airport are in operation in Arunachal Pradesh. One can travel to Arunachal Pradesh by taking flights from and to these airports. Airlines like Air India serve flights between Kolkata and Pasighat Airport.
