Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia along with Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Dr Mohan Yadav on Tuesday flagged off the inaugural flights on three key routes from Gwalior, marking a significant milestone in enhancing air connectivity across the country.
Expressing his enthusiasm, Scindia said, “This is a new beginning for all of us. This is the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to highlight and enhance the economic and spiritual strengths of India through world-class connectivity.”
He also said that Gwalior is now connected with 6 cities – Delhi, Hyderabad, Indore, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Ayodhya and now has 33 weekly flight movements. He also thanked Air India Express for connecting Gwalior with Bangalore, Hyderabad and Delhi.
He further announced that “we are trying to make a history by building new terminal building in Gwalior worth Rs 500 crore in a record time of 16 months”. The airport that is an amalgamation of modernity and antiquity, depicts history, culture, civilization and local ethos of the Gwalior city and will give boost to connectivity and economic growth, the minister said.
He also said the terminal that is to be completed in the next few days, will be spread in 2 lakh square feet to meet the futuristic demands of the region.
Commenting on the development of the aviation sector in Madhya Pradesh, Scindia also said that before 2014, Madhya Pradesh had air connectivity with only 13 cities, now the number has gone up to 31.
Additionally, two international connectivity with Dubai and Sharjah have also happened after 2014. Similarly, Madhya Pradesh had only 540 aircraft movements per week before 2014; the numbers have now gone up to more than 1000.
The government is also building a new terminal at Jabalpur costing more than Rs 425 crore, developing Rewa airport so that ATR aircrafts could land, building a new airport in Datia and a new airfield is being built in Satna.
The government has also set up 3 new Flying Training Organisations in Madhya Pradesh including Asia’s first Helicopter training institute in Khajuraho, thus taking the number of FTOs to 6 in Madhya Pradesh.
In his remarks, Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Road Transport and Highways, Gen (Dr) VK Singh(Retd.) said that the inauguration of these routes underscores the government’s dedication to making air travel more accessible and convenient for citizens.
“We believe these connections will not only facilitate travel but also contribute to the overall development of these regions,” he said.
Air India Express has been entrusted to operate daily flights on Bangalore – Gwalior – Delhi – Ayodhya – Delhi – Gwalior – Bangalore routes.