Guwahati airport could become a major airline hub and gateway to the Southeast Asia

Guwahati, Assam's main city and the gateway to India's Northeast, has the potential to become a major airline hub, it can also become a major airline cargo hub and generate hundreds of jobs.
These are the views expressed by SpiceJet's Chairman and Managing Director Ajay Singh at a seminar organised by the Delhi Alumni Association, Assam. The subject was "Assam's Trilemma: Create jobs, Enhance skills, Promote entrepreneurship". He went on to add that the Northeast can be made a cargo hub and such a step will generate hundreds of jobs if training institutes can be started with government support.
This has been reported in thestatesman.com dated 27 November 2016.

His company was in talks with the Assam government to make Guwahati a hub for SpiceJet. He has indicated that if he gets a hangar for his airline at the Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi (LGB) International Airport in Guwahati and if these are lower sales tax on aviation fuel, SpiceJet could park the planes there overnight and can have first flights out from Guwahati in the morning to major cities across India.
He added that the West Bengal government had cut sales tax on aviation fuel and that has helped SpiceJet in making Kolkata a hub. At present there are flights from Kolkata to Guwahati and Silchar and are now looking at flights to Jorhat and Lakhimpur.
If Guwahati becomes an airline hub, flights to Southeast Asia "can be made from tomorrow" in keeping with the Centre's stress on Act East with better connectivity to Southeast Asia.


Image courtesy wikimediacommons.org


Some more interesting links -

President Pranab Mukherjee to be present for Vikramshila Mahotsav

Baliyatra fair on the banks of the Mahanadi sees over one lakh visitors on opening day

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin to bury the hatchet and work together to fight terrorism


Lord Shiva and long ATM queues - bullock carts and ATM don't gel (satire)

Moody fires cannons to eliminate mosquitoes (satire)

Fuchka Festival in Kolkata and selfies (satire)


Spanish police arrest two suspected ISIS terrorists in Barcelona and Madrid

At least 52 killed and more than 100 injured in a bomb blast at a remote Sufi shrine in Pakistan

Joint action by RFA, Royal Navy and US Coast Guard nets huge haul of cocaine from the sea


La La Land to have its Indian premiere at the Jio MAMI Film Club

Jackie Chan gets an Oscar after a 56-year career

Spider-Man: Homecoming will see Michael Keaton as Spider-Man's main adversary Vulture