BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh expanded its air connectivity on Sunday with the launch of four new direct flights as Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and Union Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu, flagged off the services, which will be operated by Alliance Air.
The four new flights include Bhopal-Rewa, Bhopal-Patna, Rewa-Kolkata and Jabalpur-Kolkata. They will provide new air links for passengers from the Vindhya and Mahakoshal regions, as well as the state capital Bhopal.
While the Chief Minister and the Union minister distributed boarding passes to passengers on the newly launched Alliance Air flight from Bhopal to Rewa, Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla boarded the inaugural flight to his home city of Rewa.
Addressing the programme at Bhopal's Raja Bhoj Airport, CM Yadav described the day as a “historic day” and said a direct international service from Bhopal to Sharjah would start within the next two months.
"Our government is working rapidly to expand air services in the state. In just the last three years, three new airports have started operations in the state in Rewa, Satna and Datia. New airports are also coming up in Ujjain and Shivpuri. The union civil aviation minister has approved the construction of five new airports in the state. Singrauli will be the first to get an airport under this plan," Yadav said.
He added that air services had started on more than 10 routes in the past two years, with efforts being made to extend the benefits of air connectivity to all regions of the state.
"At one time, air services in the state were limited and facilities were negligible, but today the simultaneous launch of four new flights presents a picture of a changing Madhya Pradesh and a changing India. He said that the biggest benefit of these services would be in the form of time savings. Flights between Bhopal and Rewa will operate four days a week, while flights between Bhopal-Patna, Rewa-Kolkata and Jabalpur-Kolkata will operate three days a week. At present, travel between these cities by road or rail takes 12 to 24 hours, whereas the same distance will be covered in just two to two and a half hours through direct air services," the CM said.
"Along with being the heartland of the country, Madhya Pradesh has the potential to become an important hub for connectivity between various states. Commencement of these direct flights would save both time and money for industrialists, traders and tourists. At the same time, direct connectivity of industrial centres such as Rewa and Jabalpur with Kolkata would open the doors to larger markets for local industries and the MSME sector. Between November 2025 and August 2026, services were started on eight new air routes in the state in just ten months, including the Indore-Abu Dhabi international flight," Yadav added.
Madhya Pradesh currently has eight airports, more than 20 airstrips and 220 helipads. Yadav said the expansion of air services was not limited to transportation, but was infrastructure that would accelerate investment, industry, tourism and employment.
Addressing the programme, Naidu said civil aviation infrastructure had expanded rapidly in Madhya Pradesh. Along with the expansion of facilities in Bhopal, Indore and Gwalior, new airports had been developed in Satna, Datia and Rewa.
Madhya Pradesh's civil aviation policy was effective in increasing connectivity and could be considered among the best aviation policies of the states in the country.
"As a result, international connectivity from Indore and new air routes such as Rewa-Kolkata, Rewa-Patna, Jabalpur-Kolkata and Bhopal-Rewa are being launched," the Union minister said.
Naidu said work would be undertaken jointly with the state government to connect other cities in the state with air services. "Work is being carried out on the possibilities of converting around ten airstrips in the state into airports and developing greenfield airports in some cities," he said.