New Delhi: The first direct Gwalior–Indore flight took off and Indore-Dubai flight was also resumed today. Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, MoS, Civil Aviation, General Dr. V K Singh (Retd.) along with Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Pradeep Kharola virtually flagged off two flights today strengthening the international and domestic aerial connectivity of Madhya Pradesh.
The event marked the commencement of Indigo’s new direct flights on the Gwalior – Indore (Madhya Pradesh) – Delhi route and resumption of Air India’s Indore (Madhya Pradesh) – Dubai (UAE) direct flight.
Scindia said, “The establishment of direct flight connectivity on the Indore – Gwalior – Delhi route aligns with the objectives of the Sab Uden Sab Juden initiative of the Government of India. With the aerial connectivity of the 2 cities of Madhya Pradesh with immense potential, new opportunities will get a boost in sectors of trade and tourism.”
The Minister further informed that in last 53 days, Madhya Pradesh got 58 new flights and with 314 new aircraft movements the number of aircraft movements in the state has increased from 424 to 738.
Indore which was earlier connected to 8 cities, has now been connected to 13 cities. In a similar way, aerial connectivity of Gwalior has expanded from 4 to 6 cities.
Gwalior is known for its beautiful forts, temples, tomb, museum, and palaces. The increased accessibility will not only enhance tourism but also promote trade and commerce in the region.
Air India group currently operates flights from/to Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur and Bilaspur to various destinations within India. On the international route, Air India has been operating a direct flight from Indore to Dubai from 2019 which is recommencing now with this non-stop connection.
The flight schedules are mentioned below:
Meanwhile, Scindia today also wrote to Chief Ministers of Tripura and Uttarakhand, requesting their personal intervention in expediting the matters for strengthening of aviation infrastructure in the respective states.
It may be mentioned that Airport Authority of India has embarked upon development and expansion of airports in the country at a cost of Rs. 20,000 Crore in the next 4-5 years in order to meet the growing passenger demand in the country.
While writing to, Tripura CM Biplab Kumar Deb, Scindia, underscored following issues that were impacting the implementation of various projects pertaining to aviation sector in state:
- 48 acres of land is required at Agartala Airport for Runway extension and relocation of Doppler Very High Frequency Omni Range (DVOR).
- Further, 50.5 acres of land at Kamalpur Airport and 75 acres of land at Kailashahar Airport are required for development of these airports for civilian aircraft operations (ATR 72 type aircraft).
Scindia drew attention of Pushkar Singh Dhami, Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, on following issues that were impacting the implementation of various projects pertaining to aviation sector in state:
- 243 acres of land is required at Dehradun for Runway extension, establishment of New Terminal Building and other allied infrastructure.
- For development of heliports at Almora, Haldwani, Haridwar, Joshimath, Ramnagar, Mussoorie, Nainital and Dharchula, an amount of Rs. 8.44 crores each has been allocated. These are required to be upgraded by the State Government.
- An amount of Rs. 0.36 crore is outstanding on part of the State Government as VGF share for Regional Air Connectivity Fund Trust (RACFT)
– global bihari bureau
