New Delhi: Eight new air routes were launched today under Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN) to boost regional aerial connectivity. Following the launch by Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, SpiceJet will commence operations on these 8 new routes: Gwalior-Mumbai-Gwalior, Gwalior-Pune-Gwalior, Jabalpur-Surat-Jabalpur, and Ahmedabad-Gwalior-Ahmedabad route.
Besides, additional flights between the Delhi-Jabalpur route will also commence from July 18 onwards, and Khajuraho-Delhi-Khajuraho flights from October 2021 onwards.
Also read: 22 air routes inaugurated under ‘UDAN’ in 3 Days
Gwalior is one of the first airports of Madhya Pradesh to be connected with the UDAN route and further enhancements in the air traffic led to the advent of additional regional routes. Gwalior is now well connected with Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Jammu as UDAN routes and Mumbai, Pune, and Ahmedabad as non-UDAN routes. The city is famous for its historical buildings like- Gwalior Fort, SaasBahu Temple, Tomb of Mohammad Ghaus, Phool Bagh, Gujari Mahal Museum, Teli Ka Mandir, Gwalior Zoo, Moti Mahal and Jai Vilas Palace. The new routes will boost the aerial connectivity of Gwalior, the tourism city of Madhya Pradesh with the trade hubs of India, Maharashtra & Gujarat, and further improve economic activity.
With the flag-off, Jabalpur airport (Madhya Pradesh) is now connected with Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Pune as non-UDAN routes & with Bilaspur as UDAN route. Jabalpur is the administrative and educational centre of Madhya Pradesh. Home to Dhuandhar Falls, Madan Mahal Fort, Balancing Rock, Bargi Dam, GurudwaraGwarighat Sahib, and Dumna Nature Reserve Park, the city is also a major tourist hub.
Earlier this month, under the UDAN scheme, Indigo airlines started another flight to connect Kolkata, West Bengal and Imphal, Manipur with Dibrugarh, Assam.
To date, 359 routes and 59 airports including 5 heliports and 2 Water Aerodromes have been operationalized under the UDAN scheme.
The number of domestic passengers is on the rise as flying emerges as a preferred, safe & time-saving mode of transport. On July 15, 2021, 1,56,450 passengers travelled on 1,450 flights. Total flight movement was 2,915 & total passenger movement was 3,12,892.
– global bihari bureau
