The first flight ‘SG 78’ was flagged off by Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal at Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport here.The Bombardier Q400 aircraft will depart Guwahati at 11.55 am, while it will leave Dhaka at 2.10 pm every day.

Hailing the new mode of connectivity as landmark, Sonowal said: “We are now looking to connect all the capitals of the ASEAN and BBIN countries with Guwahati. For that, we have already requested the Civil Aviation Ministry to do the needful.”

“We believe the tremendous success of Regional Connectivity Scheme can be replicated in IACS as well thereby making international air travel much more affordable and convenient for Indians,” he added.

Bangladesh Assistant High Commissioner in India Shah Mohammad Tanvir Monsur said this new flight would be a turning point in the history of connectivity between the two regions.

“Before 1947, Bangladesh and Assam were part of the same region. Every day, 4,000 patients come to India for treatment, but they go to Kolkata, Mumbai and Delhi. Now they can come to Guwahati too as it has many good hospitals,” he added.