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Yogi launches air service between Ahmedabad & Ayodhya
Expressing happiness over the launch of the new air service, the U.P. chief minister said, “With this direct flight, Ayodhya has become directly connected with Ahmedabad, which is the second place after Delhi to be linked to Ayodhya through air service. Starting from January 15, there will also be flights between Ayodhya and Mumbai.”
Lucknow Some passengers dressed as Ram and Sita boarded the first flight from Ahmedabad to Ayodhya which was virtually launched by chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday.
Expressing happiness over the launch of the new air service, the chief minister said, “With this direct flight, Ayodhya has become directly connected with Ahmedabad, which is the second place after Delhi to be linked to Ayodhya through air service. Starting from January 15, there will also be flights between Ayodhya and Mumbai.”
He said that another flight between Delhi and Ayodhya would start on January 16.” Better air connectivity would contribute significantly to tourism and business activities,” he said.
The chief minister mentioned that the number of air passengers in the state increased from 59.97 lakh in financial year 2016-17 to 96.02 lakh in financial year 2022-23, representing a growth rate of 29.46 per cent. He said, “ In 2016-17, Lucknow airport received 39.68 lakh passengers, Varanasi had 19.16 lakh, Gorakhpur 54,000 and Prayagraj 45,000, while in 2022-23, Lucknow welcomed 52.20 lakh passengers, Varanasi 25.21 lakh, Gorakhpur 7.18 lakh and Prayagraj 5.71 lakh passengers.”
Yogi said, “ Five years ago, Ayodhya had a small airstrip, but today Maharishi Valmiki International Airport is operational. Ayodhya is now a sought after destination for everyone and the government has improved its road, rail and air connectivity, in keeping with the Prime Minister’s vision.”
“ Lucknow airport currently operates 84 flights per day to 13 national destinations. Similarly, Varanasi airport offers 34 flights per day to national destinations, Gorakhpur has 6 flights to 4 destinations, Prayagraj has 11 flights to 10 destinations, Agra has 6 flights to 6 destinations, Kanpur has 3 flights to 3 destinations and Bareilly has 3 flights to 3 destinations every day”, the CM added.
RK Singh, special director of IndiGo Airlines,said IndiGo operated 165 flights per day from seven airports in Uttar Pradesh. He assured that there would be further expansion in the coming days.
Uttar Pradesh to have 5 more airports: Scindia
New Delhi Union civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Thursday that five new airports would be inaugurated in Uttar Pradesh in one month.
He was speaking at the virtual function for the inauguration of flight service by IndiGo from Ayodhya to Ahmedabad.
He said the inauguration of five new airports in Uttar Pradesh in one month would take the total number of airports in the state to 19. The airports will come up at Azamgarh, Aligarh, Moradabad, Chitrakoot and Shravasti in the state.
Regarding Ayodhya airport, Scindia said the second phase expansion would start soon and more flights would be connecting the city. The Ayodhya airport would be expanded and the runway would be extended that would allow landing of bigger aircraft and operation of international flights.
Scindia said that the consecration ceremony in Ayodhya on January 22 was not just eagerly awaited by 140 crore Indians but also by people from abroad. Recounting his experience of the inaugural day of Maharshi Valmiki International Airport on December 30, he shared that it felt as if everyone was joyously welcoming Lord Shri Ram. He praised CM Yogi for creating a new Ayodhya and expressed happiness over the timely completion of various development projects, including the Ayodhya airport.
Scindia said that the airport was built in a record time of just 20 months.
Highlighting the rapid growth in Uttar Pradesh’s aviation sector, he mentioned that while there were 700 aircraft movements per week in the state in 2014, the number had now increased to 1654 per week.
