In a recent high-level meeting held in New Delhi, chaired by Shri Nitin Gadkari, Hon’ble Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, with Shri Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, Hon’ble Union Minister for Civil Aviation, Shri Murlidhar Mohod, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation, and senior officials from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Association for Industrial Development (AID) successfully secured assurances from the Ministry of Civil Aviation on critical issues related to the operations of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Nagpur Airport.
The Civil Aviation Ministers assured their full support for AID efforts to address the delays affecting the airport’s runway recarpeting and the need to expand flight routes. They also assured to completing the runway work before March 31, 2025 instead of 30 April as originally planned, ensuring an uninterrupted summer flight schedule beginning from April 1 to September 30, 2025.
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The delegation led by President Ashish Kale, along with Girdhari Mantri, Vice President, AID; Pankaj Bhokare, Executive Secretary, AID; and Vijay Fadnavis, Senior Executive Officer, AID, emphasized the urgency of completing the runway recarpeting project by the March 31 deadline to avoid further disruptions, resulting in lower air fares, convenient flight schedules and more number of flights.
AID also once again highlighted the urgent need for direct connectivity to a Hub in South East Asia, like Singapore, Bangkok or Kuala lumper giving this region connectivity to Entire Asia, Australia and to the West coast of the USA, which would majorly Boost the business prospects of the Vidarbha region. During the meeting, AID also advocated further expansion of routes to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Riyadh to enhance links to Europe, Africa, and the Americas.
AID had requested intervention of Shri Nitin Gadkari as the delay in runway work which has significantly impacted flight operations, reduced the number of flights and adversely affected the region’s economy, particularly during the peak tourism and agricultural seasons. The reduction in flights has also caused an increase in airfares, placing additional financial burdens on public. Nagpur is currently losing around 70 flights per week due to restricted operational hours, with further losses possible if the project is not completed on time.
Prominent officials attending the meeting included Shri Vumlunmang Vualnam, Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation; Shri M. Suresh, Chairman (Additional Charge), Airports Authority of India (AAI); Shri Anil Kumar Gupta, Member (Planning), AAI & Director on the Board of Multi Modal International Cargo Hub and Airport at Nagpur (MIHAN); Shri Abid Ruhi, Senior Airport Director, MIHAN; and Shri Kumar Ranjan Thakur, CS and CFO, MIHAN India Ltd. Smt. Swati Pandey, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC), and Shri Sanjay Sethi, Additional Chief Secretary, Transport & Port / General Administration Department (Civil Aviation), Government of Maharashtra, joined the meeting online.
Team AID thanked the ministers for their assurance and especially expressed gratitude to Shri Nitin Gadkari for his intervention.
