Swadeshi Do-228 takes to the skies

It's a full circle for Alliance Air which once started life as Vayudoot in the early eighties with a fleet of Dornier aircraft. Now four decades later, Vayudoot is Alliance Air. The airline flew the first Made in India Dornier 228 on April 12. A special report

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Alliance Air's made-in-India Dornier 228 aircraft has taken its maiden commercial flight on the Dibrugarh-Pasighat route on April 12 with Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia onboard. Alliance Air, the regional division of Air India operating flights under the government's RCS-UDAN scheme recently took delivery of the passenger variant of Dornier 228 aircraft made by HAL under the license agreement.

The union government-run Alliance Air had in February signed an agreement with the government-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to lease two 17-seater Dornier 228 aircraft. The Dornier 228 is based on Do-228 being operated by the Indian Air Force and manufactured by HAL in India.

Its first flight between Dibrugarh in Assam and Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh will boost connectivity in the northeastern states, the airline said in a statement. Alliance Air said it will be India's first commercial airline to fly Indian-made aircraft for civil operations.

Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu, and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma were present on the occasion of Dornier 228's first flight and the flying training organization's opening. Till date, Dornier 228 planes are used by the armed forces only.