Union Civil Aviation Minister Aviation Jyotiraditya M. Scindia inaugurated a direct flight between Indore and Sharjah today.

The Boeing 737-800 flight of Air India Express will be operated three days a week on Monday, Friday and Saturday commencing from 31st March 2023 as per the following schedule:

*The flight will depart from Indore at 10:30 and arrive in Sharjah at 12:10

*On the return trip the flight will depart from Sharjah at 3:00 and arrive in Indore at 7:35

In his inaugural address, Scindia said that after Indore to Dubai, Indore to Sharjah will be the city’s second air connectivity with the UAE. This will not only boost trade and commerce but also connect families living in the two countries.

The minister 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, 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.

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