The first India-made Dornier 228 aircraft took its maiden flight on Tuesday, March 12. With a capacity of seventeen passengers, the aircraft can handle day and night operations. By Karan Kaushik
Everything you need to know about the made-in-India Dornier 228 aircraft
Union Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia boarded the flight on the Dibrugarh-Pasighat route. Alliance Air is Air India’s regional division. According to the government of India, Alliance Air is the first commercial airline in the country to fly an Indian-made aircraft for civil operations.
The airline serves as a flight operator under the Indian government’s RCS-UDAN scheme. The aircraft was delivered to Alliance Air by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) on Thursday. It is remodelled on DO-228 aircraft of the Indian Air Force.
Overjoyed and proud to embark on the 17 seater Made-in-India Dornier 228 aircraft – in its first ever maiden service to Arunachal Pradesh! Jai ho! @KirenRijiju pic.twitter.com/nEuUykrvAC
— Jyotiraditya M. Scindia (@JM_Scindia) April 12, 2022
Scindia flagged off the 17-seater non-pressurised Dornier 228 from Assam’s Dibrugarh airport. The aircraft has been introduced with the aim to improve connectivity in the northeastern states of India. It will also be helpful in facilitating regional connectivity.
Alliance Air is the country’s first commercial airline company that has been tasked with flying the Indian-made aircraft for civil operations. The airline took to its Twitter handle to share the news that it had received the aircraft from HAL.
Alliance Air will take off into the skies of Arunachal Pradesh with its #MadeInIndia fleet – HAL Dornier 228, working towards a mission to connect the North-Eastern Region of India to enhance commerce and economic growth. pic.twitter.com/4IYmNQwr54
— Alliance Air (@allianceair) April 9, 2022
The new made-in-India HAL Dornier 228 will be operated from April 18 on the Dibrugarh-Pasighat-Lilabari route. The service will be available twice every week.
The aircraft has been manufactured under an agreement between Alliance Air and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited that was signed in February this year.
See images of the HAL Dornier 228 shared by HAL and Alliance Air below:
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The Dornier 228 is a twin-turboprop short take-off and landing utility aircraft. It has been made by HAL for Indian Coast Guard, Indian Air Force, and the Indian navy. Under the agreement with Alliance Air, HAL has to lease two such 17-seater Dornier 228 aircrafts to the airline.
The aircraft can carry two crew members along with 17 passengers. The wingspan of the plane is 16.97m, while its overall length is 16.56m. The height of the aircraft is 4.86m. It can be used for several purposes such as aerial surveys, prevention of pollution, search and rescue operations, casualty evacuation, and cargo supply, to name a few.
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