As a part of the scheme to introduce Helicopter service from Lamka (Churachandpur) in trouble-torn Manipur landed at the lone Lengpui airport near Aizawl at around 11.20 AM on Thursday and again took off for Lamka.
The helicopter service in the sector is to be run by M/s Global Vectra Helicopter Ltd., which will place VT-GVA/BELL 412(H) helicopter into service between Lamka and Aizawl if the trial landing and take off is found to be technically satisfactory, airport officials said.
Capt. BipinBonde and Capt. N.S. Panwar were the only crews who landed the passenger-less chopper at Lengpui on Thursday.
Principal Consultant of Mizoram Civil Aviation, Wing Commander Joe Lalhmingliana said that trial landing for the proposed helicopter service between Kangpokpi and Dimapur will also be undertaken on Friday.
“After submission of the report by the pilots to the Manipur government, and if the flights are found to be satisfactory, arrangements would be made for launching of the helicopter service. The frequency of flights, on which days, amount of fares and other logistics have to be decided before launching the service,” Lalhmingliana said.
He said that the helicopter flying between Lamka and Aizawl will land at Lengpui airport, not at a helipad in Mualpuineighbourhood of Aizawl, as refueling has to be done in all the flights.
The duration of the chopper flight between Lamka and Lengpui takes around 45 minutes.
The Ministry of Home Affairs has given permission to commence inter-state helicopter service between Lamka (Churachandpur) and Aizawl on Monday.
The helicopter service between Lamka and Imphal, commenced earlier after the ethnic strife in the neighbouring state was rendered almost redundant as there has been geographic and demographic division was already in place with the majority Meitei people not daring to enter ethnic Mizo inhabited areas in the Manipur hills and vice versa.
Delegation of the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF) who went to Delhi to hold talks with Union Home Minister during the first part of August had to endure 370 kilometres arduous travel by road from Lamka to Aizawl on August 6 and took a flight from the lone Lengpui airport near Aizawl to Delhi via Guwahati.
