Guwahati: The only non-stop service between Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi (DEL) and Shillong Airport (SHL) in Meghalaya has been launched by SpiceJet.
The airline and the Meghalaya Transport Corporation signed a contract last month that paved the way for the new service.
On February 24, the inaugural flight took off with 18 passengers aboard, while only 12 people were on board the return leg to Delhi. Flights will run on Mondays and Fridays, twice a week.
Dash 8-Q400 aircraft from SpiceJet will fly the routes. This new service is one of the longest Dash 8-Q400 routes in the world, with a block time of more than three hours each way and a flying distance of 926 miles.
The airline’s chief commercial officer, Shilpa Bhatia, celebrated the launch of the new route, saying, “We are excited to extend our network to Shillong. Meghalaya is one of the most sought-after tourist destinations in the North East with magnificent landscape and scenic views, and there is a tremendous potential for tourist traffic to the state. Non-stop flights providing hassle-free connectivity will provide a major fillip to travel and tourism in the state.”
SpiceJet operates a fleet of 28 Dash 8Q-400 aircraft, of which 18 have an all-economy seating arrangement for a total of 78 passengers while the remaining 10 have a more recent 90-seat design. 15 more of the higher-density Dash 8Q-400s are on order for the carrier.