Indore's Devi Ahilyabai Holkar International Airport is preparing to expand its domestic connectivity, with airport authorities sending a formal proposal to airline companies to launch direct flights to 10 new cities across the country.
The airport management has written to various airlines proposing direct flights from Indore to Patna, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Ranchi, Gorakhpur, Bhubaneswar, Dehradun, Srinagar and Coimbatore, among other key cities.
There has reportedly been long-standing passenger demand for these routes. Currently, travellers heading to these cities have to transit through major airports such as Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad or Bengaluru, adding several hours to their journey and pushing up fares considerably.
Airport officials believe that launching direct flights to these cities would offer significant relief to passengers. According to officials, the proposal sent to airlines includes data on passenger volumes on the relevant routes, along with details of business activity, tourism, and movement linked to education and healthcare. Given the steadily rising passenger traffic between Indore and several cities in eastern, northern and southern India, airlines have been urged to begin operations on these routes at the earliest.
Officials say Indore is emerging as a major aviation hub for central India, with both domestic and international passenger numbers on a consistent rise. The recently launched direct international flight to Abu Dhabi has received a strong response, which officials say has further strengthened demand for new domestic routes.
Should the airlines approve the proposal, flight operations to these cities would be rolled out in a phased manner, directly benefiting passengers travelling for business, industry, tourism, education and medical purposes. This would also significantly strengthen Indore's aviation network and expand the city's connectivity with major cities across the country.
Indore, long regarded as a national role model for cleanliness and civic management, is now moving towards a historic transformation in transport and urban mobility. The airport's expansion will take place in two phases, requiring a total of 143 acres of additional land. In the first phase, spanning 89 acres, the runway will be extended from 2,754 metres to 3,500 metres. In the second phase, a further 54 acres will be added to extend the runway to 4,000 metres. Once completed, the expansion will allow for the landing of larger aircraft and greater scope for international flight operations. The first phase will also include construction of a new terminal near the existing one, along with installation of a radar system to ensure safer aircraft landings.