In a major step toward enhancing passenger convenience and honoring regional identity, the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International (LGBI) Airport in Guwahati is set to introduce an automated Assamese public announcement system. The airport authorities confirmed that the new system will be fully operational within the next 10 days, ensuring local linguistic representation at the northeast’s premier aviation gateway.
The decision comes closely on the heels of a formal representation submitted by three retired senior civil servants—former Assam Director General of Police (DGP) Kuladhar Saikia, retired IPS officer Jyotirmoy Chakraborty, and retired ACS officer Mukul Chandra Gogoi. The ex-bureaucrats raised concerns that public announcements at the newly inaugurated Terminal 2 were being made exclusively in Hindi and English, omitting Assamese, which serves as the principal lingua franca of the state.
Prioritizing Regional Identity and Public Safety
The inclusion of regional languages aligns closely with guidelines issued by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), which encourage airports to utilize local languages alongside national and international ones. In their appeal, the former officials emphasized that communication in the native tongue is not just a matter of cultural pride, but a crucial element of emergency preparedness. Clear instructions in Assamese ensure that all regional passengers can promptly understand and comply with safety protocols during critical situations, thereby mitigating avoidable mishaps.
Responding swiftly to the public interest, the Guwahati airport authority clarified that Assamese announcements had never been discontinued but were previously managed manually by terminal staff and individual airline operators. The rollout of the automated system at Terminal 2 experienced a brief delay after initial testing phases revealed minor script and pronunciation discrepancies.
“Testing revealed several pronunciation errors in the Assamese announcements. The rectification of these issues is currently in progress with the assistance of language experts before final commissioning,” an airport official stated.
A Seamless and Inclusive Travel Experience
To guarantee an inclusive transit environment, the airport management has strictly instructed all operating airlines to ensure their manual and automated gate announcements consistently utilize three languages: Assamese, Hindi, and English.
As the primary hub connecting the rest of India to the northeastern states, the integration of an automated local language system at LGBI Airport reflects a broader commitment to providing a seamless, culturally respectful, and safe travel experience for both native commuters and visiting tourists.
Assam CM, Jeet Adani inaugurate new terminal operations at Guwahati airport, providing relevant visual context to the ongoing infrastructure and structural upgrades happening at Terminal 2, where this new automated announcement system is being implemented.
