Made-in-India Dornier-228 inducted, joins UDAAN stable

ITANAGAR, APR 12: Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia with Union Minister of Law and Justice Kiren Rijiju  inaugurated the launch flight of 17-seater Made-in-India Dornier 228 aircraft under UDAN scheme, in Itanagar on Tuesday. This launch also marked the beginning of flights on Dibrugarh-Pasighat route, connecting two important towns of North Eastern skies.

This also marks the reincarnation of DO-228 fleet of this German flying machine carrying  Vayudoot flag for domestic cheaper flying option. Presently manufactured by the public sector Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) in India, the Dornier was first deployed by the now defunct airline Vayudoot and serviced over 100 airports across India till the early 1990s.

Vayudoot – named after ancient Sanskrit scholar Kalidasa’s magnum opus – took wings on January 26, 1981, to bring the unconnected towns in the Northeast on India’s air map.

Dornier joined the domestic airline fleet in 1985 and had a very impressive run until the Open Sky policy of the first NDA government grounded it, unwilling to run commercial enterprises.

An aerial view of the ancient Brahmaputra River in Arunachal Pradesh can also be enjoyed flying a Dornier-228,