Guj govt wants direct flights to London, Newark, Dubai

Gujarat government today sought direct flights from the state to London, Newark and Dubai and urged the Centre to expand Ahmedabad airport's domestic capacity.
The issues were raised at a meeting the state's Civil Aviation Minister Saurabh Patel had with Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju here.
Patel wanted the Civil Aviation Ministry's help in starting a direct flight on the Ahmedabad-London-Newark (New Jersey) sector and connections to Dubai from Surat and Vadodara, official sources said.
He also sought enhanced domestic connectivity between various points in Gujarat to cities like Delhi, Kolkata, Bengaluru and Chennai.
The state government wanted the Ministry's help in setting up of a Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility at the Ahmedabad airport.

Patel also wanted expansion of the capacity of the domestic terminal at the Ahmedabad airport and declaration of Vadodara and Surat airports as international ones, they said.