New Delhi: The Union Minister of Civil Aviation and Steel, Shri Jyotiraditya M Scindia today inaugurated the direct flight between Ayodhya and Ahmedabad from New Delhi. With this inauguration, Ayodhya gets three direct flights a week from Ahmedabad.
The occasion was graced by the Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh Shri Yogi Adityanath, Minister of Tourism and Culture, Uttar Pradesh, Shri Jayveer Singh, Member of Parliament from Ayodhya, Shri Lallu Singh and Member of Parliament from Ahmedabad, Dr Kirit Premjibhai Solanki.
Indigo will operate on this route and the flight will commence effective from 11 January 2024 between Ahmedabad – Ayodhya – Ahmedabad thrice a week.
In his inaugural address, Minister of Civil Aviation and Steel, Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia said, “The direct flight from Ayodhya to Ahmedabad will give further boost to air connectivity between both cities. The Union Minister also said that the two cities represent India in true sense. He said that on one hand, Ahmedabad is a symbol of India’s economic strength and on the other hand, Ayodhya represents India’s spiritual & civilizational prowess. Air connectivity between the two cities will contribute to the economic growth, help travel & tourism grow as well”.
He also thanked Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Shri Yogi Adityanath for his cooperation in allotting the required land for building the Ayodhya airport in record time of 20 months.
The Minister also reiterated that the airport is fulfilling the Prime Minister’s idea that the airports are not merely ‘airports’ but also the gateways to a region’s ethos, culture, and history. The outer structure of the Maharshi Valmiki International Airport structure is inspired by Ram Temple, and the terminal building through beautiful paintings and artefacts depicts the life journey of Lord Ram.
Talking about the growth of the civil aviation sector in Uttar Pradesh in the past 9 years, the Union Minister shared that Uttar Pradesh had only 6 airports in 2014, and now the state has 10 airports including the newly inaugurated airport in Ayodhya. By the next month, UP will have 5 more airports, one airport each in Azamgarh, Aligarh, Moradabad, Shravasti, and Chitrakoot. Apart from this an international airport will also be ready in Jewar by the end of 2024. In totality, UP will have 19 airports in the future.
The minister also added that currently the Maharshi Valmiki International Airport is built in an area of 6500 square meters with the capacity of handling 600 air passengers at peak hours which will be expanded to 50,000 square meters and the capacity will also be expanded to 3000 passengers in the next phase. Similarly, the runway which is 2200 meter long will be expanded to 3700 meters so that larger aircraft for international flights could also run from Ayodhya itself.
The minister also commended UP Govt’s work in civil aviation as the air connectivity has increased sharply in the last 9 years. The state was only connected to 18 cities connected in 2014 and is now connected to 41 cities. Similarly, the state had only 700 flight movements weekly in 2014, which has now increased to 1654 flight movements per week.