Guwahati, Sept. 21: Come November, Arunachal Pradesh will have the first commercial airlines service with the inauguration of a flight between Pasighat and Guwahati.

The frontier state was recently included in the Centre's regional connectivity scheme (RCS), Udaan. A memorandum of understanding was signed yesterday between the state government, the Airports Authority of India and the ministry of civil aviation.

'We will start with a flight from Pasighat advance landing ground (ALG) to Guwahati. Flights in other five ALGs will be started in phases. We are working on the number of flights to operate initially. Talks are on to finalise the airlines which will operate,' secretary of civil aviation in Arunachal Pradesh Vinod P. Kavle said.

The air force operates transport aircraft in six ALGs that were upgraded to improve defence infrastructure in the areas, bordering China, and provide air connectivity for both commercial and tourism purposes.

The ALGs at Tuting, Wallong, Mechuka, Pasighat, Ziro and Aalo have so far been opened. These remained unused since the 1965 war with China. The air force has also landed fighter aircraft such as Sukhoi and C-17 Globemaster since reopening of these airstrips. The Centre, in 2009, had decided to revamp the ALGs to improve defence infrastructure on the border.

There has been a strong demand by various organisations that the ALGs should be allowed to run commercial flights for civilians as well. Sources said all the ALGs would have terminals for the use of commercial flights.

Passengers and VIPs at present use the helicopters that run between Naharlagun near Itanagar and Guwahati.

Secretary of Union civil aviation ministry Rajiv Nayan Choubey held a meeting with chief secretary Shakuntala Gamlin and Kavle yesterday wherein Choubey assured that air services from Pasighat would commence in November.

'This will not only pave the way for providing affordable air connectivity from the ALGs and airports within Arunachal Pradesh to the rest of the country but also boost tourism and import and export of goods and agriculture/horticulture produce of the state,' an official statement said.

Under the RCS, the Centre will bear 80 per cent of the viability gap funding cost for such airports in the rest of the country. It will be 90 per cent for the Northeast and the Union Territories.

The ministry said incentives/concessions under the scheme were necessary as the Centre had put a cap of Rs 2,500 for one hour of air travel (500km aerial distance). The ministry will spend Rs 4,000 crore to upgrade and improve 50 unused airstrips in the country.

Arunachal was added to the railway map of the country with inauguration of a train with Naharlagun in April last year.