By Our Correspondent
NEW DELHI: The Union minister of Civil Aviation and Steel, Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia inaugurated the Gwalior-Ahmedabad flight route Thursday, along with Gen. (Dr.) V.K. Singh (Retd.), Union Minister of state for Civil Aviation and Road Transport and Highways. Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Dr. Mohan Yadav also virtually joined the event.
In his inaugural address, Shri Scindia said that the flight service will cover the distance of 870 kilometers between Gwalior and Ahmedabad in just two hours and will operate once a week. He also assured that soon the frequency will be increased to meet the demand. The Minister said that this air service will promote business, commerce, and tourism in not one but two states, and will also provide a new boost to the local economy.
Gwalior is connected to 7 cities
Talking about the infrastructure development at the Gwalior airport, Shri Scindia said, “In a record time of 16 months we have completed the work of the dream project of development of Gwalior – the new airport of Gwalior. This grand terminal building, costing Rs 498 crore, is spread over 20,000 Sq.m. This grand terminal building has a peak hour capacity to handle about 1400 passengers, which is 3 times more than the old airport and Movement of about 2 million passengers every year will be possible through this airport.”
Shri Scindia also talked about the addition of new flights to Gwalior and said, “If we talk about the connectivity of Gwalior, then in 2014 Gwalior was connected to only 2 cities, today Gwalior is connected to 7 cities (Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, Indore, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, and Ayodhya) and now there are 66 flight movements from here every week, which is 181% more than in 2014.”
Madhya Pradesh connected to 31 cities
Elaborating on the aviation sector development in Madhya Pradesh, Shri Scindia said, “In 2014, Madhya Pradesh was connected to only 12 cities and today it is connected to 31 cities – an increase of 158%. There were a total of 473 flights in the year 2014 in the entire Madhya Pradesh, which has now increased to 968 in the year 2024, i.e. an increase of more than 100%.”
He further added, “Jabalpur’s new terminal building is also being constructed at a cost of Rs 412 crore, Datia Airport is being constructed at a cost of Rs 46 crore and Rewa Airport is being constructed at a cost of Rs 90 crore. We are also constructing an airfield in Satna. The result of the simplified FTO policy is that there is a total of 6 FTOs in Madhya Pradesh, with the help of which Madhya Pradesh will emerge as an important state supplying pilot in the country.”
The city of Gwalior holds immense economic significance due to agricultural and manufacturing activities while its rich heritage attracts cultural enthusiasts and pilgrims from across the country. The launch of flights on the route is in line with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of strengthening the country’s transportation system with a robust network connecting tier 2 and tier 3 cities.
Dignitaries present at the event included Shri Kirit Premjibhai Solanki, Member of Parliament, Ahmedabad West, Shri Pradhuman Singh Tomar, Energy Minister in Madhya Pradesh Govt., Shri Narayan Singh Kushwah, Social Justice & Disabled Welfare, Horticulture and Food Processing Minister, and officials from the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Madhya Pradesh government.
