UP CM Yogi welcomes start of Akasa Air services from Lucknow on Dec 25

After getting information regarding the model, route, fuel, fare etc, the chief minister said that Akasa Air is starting its air service for the Bengaluru-Lucknow-Mumbai route

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday expressed happiness over the commencement of flight services of Akasa Air from the state capital Lucknow on December 25.

"Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee represented Lucknow five times in the Lok Sabha. On his birth anniversary, new air service is being started from Lucknow to Mumbai and Bangalore. It is heartening for all of us," Adityanath said on Saturday.

On the eve of the commencement of the first flight of Akasa Air from Lucknow, the officials of the airline greeted the UP Chief Minister by giving him the first boarding pass (symbolic), the UP government said in a statement issued here.

After getting information from the officials of Akasa Air regarding the model, route, fuel, fare etc, the chief minister said that Akasa Air is starting its air service for the Bengaluru-Lucknow-Mumbai route.

"It should also be linked to Varanasi. This route is the most frequented. This will prove to be very useful for both the people of Uttar Pradesh and Akasa Air," he said.

He also said that Uttar Pradesh has benefited immensely from the 'Udaan' scheme launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, pointing out that the PM's dream of 'air flight of a common man wearing slippers' and better air services in Uttar Pradesh are coming true.

The Chief Minister told Air Akasa officials that air service should be started from Lucknow, Varanasi or Kushinagar to Kathmandu. There is a demand for air flight services from here to Buddhist countries as well. Akasa Air should also consider in this regard, he said.

Drawing comparison with the previous governments, Adityanath said that before 2017, the state had airports mainly in Lucknow and Varanasi.

Gorakhpur and Agra had partially functional airports. Then air service was available only from four airports to 25 destinations. Today nine airports are operational and work is going on at 10 places. Today there is a facility of air service from the state to 75 destinations.

He said that before the year 2017 there was only one flight from Gorakhpur to Delhi. Today there are 14 flights and when I ask, I get to know that all come full and go full, this has given a new pace to the development of Gorakhpur," he remarked.

The Chief Minister said that the state government is getting 10 new airports constructed. Air service is going to start in areas like Aligarh, Azamgarh, Moradabad, Saharanpur, Chitrakoot, Shravasti and Sonbhadra. Until recently this was unimaginable. An airport is being built in Chitrakoot at a very high altitude.

He also said that Uttar Pradesh is going to become a state with five international airports very soon. Presently Varanasi, Kushinagar and Lucknow international airports are functional, while construction of airports in Jewar and Ayodhya is in progress. There are immense possibilities in this field. Akasa Air will get its benefit.

Akasa Air Chief Executive Officer Vinay Dubey, Co-Founder Neelu Khatri, Co-Founder Praveen Iyer, Vice President Harjinder Singh and other top officials were present on the occasion, the statement said.