Arunachal plans fixed-wing flight service to Mechuka

Arunachal Pradesh is planning to invite bids for a fixed-wing flight service to Mechuka, with an advance landing ground (ALG) that is closest to the border with China.

The state would be floating a tender for operating nine-seater flights between Mechuka and Guwahati or Dibrugarh (Assam) or both. The state had earlier invited tenders but had to re-tender as there was only one bidder.

The 4,200 feet long landing strip at Mechuka’s ALG had reconstructed, expanded and made operational by April last year. In November 2016, the Indian Air Force (IAF), which controls this ALG, successfully landed a C-17 Globemaster, a large military cargo aircraft that normally needs a longer runway at sea level, at Mechuka.

The nine-seater flight service, to be handled by the State’s Civil Aviation department, is not part of New Delhi’s Udey Desh ka Aam Naagrik or UDAN scheme for regional connectivity. Fixed-wing flights are considered better for negotiating cloudy and rainy conditions at high altitudes than helicopters.