From September 3, 2022, Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Guwahati will once again offer international passenger flights for the first time since the COVID-19 epidemic. Druk Air, the national carrier of Bhutan, will resume service to Guwahati, providing northeast India with global connectivity to Paro and Singapore.
The only airline in the world that flies to Guwahati, the entry point to northeast India, is Bhutan’s Druk Air. In accordance with India’s global Udaan programme, Assam will soon have connectivity with an additional five countries.
Due to the pandemic, Druk Air’s operations have been suspended for more than two years. Bhutan recently opened its borders to travellers from around the world, and now that Druk Air is operating flights to and from Guwahati once more, more visitors from northeast and eastern India will be able to fly directly to Paro instead of making the long journey to Bhutan.
Guwahati is additionally connected to Changi Airport in Singapore by Druk Air. Two days a week, Druk Air will operate out of Guwahati. The Airbus-319 can accommodate more than 100 passengers. The first flight from Guwahati due to the pandemic would go to Changi Airport in Singapore.
This development appears to be quite encouraging for Assam and northeast India as a whole since it suggests there may be a prospect for increased aviation connectivity to the ASEAN countries.
The Assam government is aiming to add five more international aircraft routes, including those to neighbouring countries like Myanmar, Nepal, and Bangladesh.
Currently, just two international airports service the eight states of Assam, Manipur, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, and Sikkim in northeast India. For many travellers from northeast India, West Bengal is the best route after Assam and Manipur.