Minister of Civil Aviation, Jyotiraditya M Scindia inaugurates direct flight between Indore and Sharjah

Minister of Civil Aviation and Steel, Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia along with MoS Ministry of Civil Aviation, Gen. Dr Vijay Kumar Singh (Rtd.) inaugurated a direct flight between Indore and Sharjah today.

This new route will enhance connectivity with the Middle East and promote trade, commerce and tourism in Madhya Pradesh. It will operate three days a week commencing from 31^st March 2023 as per the following schedule:

Flt No.	From	To	Freq.	Dep. time	Arr. time	Acft	Eff from
IX0255	IDR	SJH	Mon, Fri & Sat	10:30	12:10	B 737-800	31^st March 2023
IX 0256	SJH	IDR	Mon, Fri & Sat	03:00	07:35	B 737-800	31^st March 2023

In his inaugural address, Minister of Civil Aviation, Shri Jyotiraditya M. Scindia said that after Indore to Dubai, Indore to Sharjah will be Indore’s second air connectivity with UAE. This will not only boost trade and commerce but also connect families living in two different countries.

Speaking on connectivity and infrastructure development, Shri Scindia said that in 2013-14, Indore was connected to only 6 destinations. In the 9 years of PM Modi’s government, it has increased to 24 including 2 international destinations which is a 400% growth. Earlier, weekly air traffic movement from Indore was 320 which has now increased to 500 which is a 52% growth.

The Minister further said that in 2014, the state of Madhya Pradesh had air connectivity with only eight cities of the country, but now it is connected to 26 cities which is a 300% growth. The weekly air traffic movement from the state was 500 aircraft; in 9 years it has increased to 840. Madhya Pradesh was given 60 routes under the RCS UDAN scheme, 33 of them are already operational and 12 will be operational soon. Recently, Reva airport’s foundation was laid- Rs. 50 crores will be invested in its development. In Gwalior, a new integrated terminal building is being developed at a cost of Rs 500 crore. A new integrated terminal building costing around Rs 475 crore is being developed in Jabalpur also.

Shri Aloke Singh, Managing Director of Air India Express, AirAsia India and Captain Manish Uppal, Head of Operations AirAsia India were present during the event.