Raipur, Nov 20 (PTI) Chhattisgarh capital Raipur will soon get direct air connectivity with Singapore and Dubai with Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu accepting the demand raised by Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai.
Sai met Naidu Wednesday in New Delhi and discussed strengthening the air connectivity and development of regional airports in the state, the public relations department said in a statement in Raipur.
The chief minister requested the Union minister to grant international status to Swami Vivekanand Airport, Raipur, emphasising that the move will encourage the economic development of Chhattisgarh and bolster air connectivity.
Sai also discussed the need for direct flights between Raipur and Singapore and Raipur and Dubai.
"As the passenger traffic on these routes is quite good, these services will prove to be commercially beneficial," Sai was quoted as saying.
Naidu consented to start international air service from Swami Vivekanand Airport soon, the Chhattisgarh government stated.
Naidu has also assured the chief minister to look into his demand for developing Raipur airport as a central cargo hub, it said.
The Chief Minister raised a demand for introducing new flights to connect Ambikapur Airport with major cities like Raipur, Varanasi, Prayagraj and Ayodhya, it said.
Sai also demanded restoring financial support for RCS (regional connectivity scheme) flights at Jagdalpur and Bilaspur airports. He said that increasing connectivity on these routes will help in regional development, it said.
The flight service operated by IndiGo Airlines between Jagdalpur and Raipur was stopped due to a shortage of passengers, the chief minister told Naidu and urged him to restore the service citing the immense tourism potential in Bastar.
A proposal for upgrading Bilaspur airport to the 3C IFR category was also put forward by the CM in the meeting, the statement said.
The Union Civil Minister has directed officials to start the night landing facility at Bilaspur airport, it added.