International UDAN Flight

SpiceJet launched the first international flight from Guwahati to Dhaka under the UDAN scheme on July 1, 2019. This is the first flight under the IACS scheme, also referred to as International UDAN. The promotional price for a one-way trip between Guwahati and Dhaka was 3,355. The airline was selected in January to operate flights to Dhaka and Bangkok under the Assam government’s initiative to boost international connectivity. The state government is providing an annual viability gap funding of 11 crore for the two routes.

Initially, Assam had proposed to connect Guwahati with six overseas destinations -- Dhaka, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Yangon and Kathmandu, but it received valid bids for only two routes. An official of the Ministry of Civil Aviation said bids for more routes would be considered after an assessment of how the two routes pan out.