Agartala/Aizawl, Feb 29 (IANS): Under UDAN scheme, budget airline IndiGo on Saturday launched daily direct flights on the Agartala-Aizawl-Guwahati route, facilitating passengers to travel among the northeastern states.

Under the UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) scheme, the Air India, IndiGo, Air Asia, GoAir and other airliners are operating their flights among the northeastern states and other major cities in India.

In Aizawl, Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga flagged-off the 78-seater Agartala bound IndiGo flight.

Airlines sources said that the IndiGo would introduce airbus-320 on the Aizawl-Delhi route in near future.

Currently, the Air India and Go Air are operating their flights from Aizawl's Lengpui airport connecting Kolkata and Guwahati.

In Agartala, Tripura Transport and Tourism Minister Pranajit Singh Roy in presence of the Airport Authority of India (AAI) Regional Executive Director (NER) Sanjeev Jindal and other dignitaries flagged-off the IndiGo flight.

Singh Roy (Repeat Singh Roy) said that with this new flight, from now onwards daily 19 flights of various airliners including Air India would be operated from the Agartala's Maharaja Bir Bikram airport connecting Kolkata, Delhi, Guwahati, Aizawl and other cities in India.

Jindal said that there are plan to operate flights from Agartala-Shillong route.

He said that air connectivities are being upgraded under the UDAN scheme, announced by the government earlier.

"UDAN is under the regional connectivity scheme that aims at regional airport development with the objective of 'let the common citizens of the country fly' by making air travel affordable and widespread, to boost inclusive national economic development," the AAI Regional Executive Director (NER) said.

He said that under the AAI's corporate social responsibility scheme, various projects were undertaken in different northeastern states to improve the livelihood of the local people specially the tribals.