With 19 airports, Gujarat steps up aviation infrastructure push: CM Patel

Ahmedabad, Sep 2 (IANS) The launch of international hub-and-spoke flight services from Ahmedabad will give international travellers from Gujarat direct benefits in terms of convenience, while passengers from smaller cities will be spared repeated boarding, customs and immigration procedures, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said.

The service was formally inaugurated at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, making it the third Indian airport after Amritsar and Varanasi to be incorporated into the international hub-and-spoke framework of the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation.

Speaking at the launch on Tuesday, Patel linked the new facility with the expansion of India’s aviation infrastructure and the broader growth of air connectivity.

He said the country’s development journey is progressing rapidly under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with infrastructure playing an important role.

Patel noted that the state government’s ‘Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik’ approach had expanded air connectivity through the UDAN scheme, under which more than 679 routes had been made operational.

“The initiative had helped extend air travel to ordinary passengers and turn the aspiration of flying into a reality. With the launch of the hub-and-spoke service from Ahmedabad, international travellers from the state will directly benefit from ‘ease of travel’ and passengers from smaller cities will be freed from boarding, customs and immigration procedures,” the Chief Minister said.

The Chief Minister also highlighted Gujarat’s expanding aviation infrastructure.

He said the state currently had 19 operational airports, including three international airports, as the state government continued to accelerate the development of airport infrastructure.

Patel pointed to aircraft leasing and financing activities at GIFT City and the greenfield airport being developed at Dholera as projects strengthening Gujarat’s position in aviation.

“The Dholera airport would provide fresh momentum to the economies of Gujarat and the country in the coming years,” he said.

He added that the airport project would also be useful in the context of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit scheduled for January 2027.

Under the hub-and-spoke system, passengers from smaller airports are connected to larger hubs for onward international travel.

The arrangement allows baggage, customs and immigration procedures to be completed at the originating airport, reducing repeated processes at the connecting airport.

Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, Ahmedabad Mayor Hitesh Barot, Chief Secretary M K Das, Adani Airport Director Jeet Adani, Air India Group Head of Corporate Affairs P Balaji, Tourism Secretary Kuldeep Arya, civil aviation officials, representatives of Air India and Adani Airport and other officials attended the launch.

–IANS

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