Vadodara: Despite being designated as an international airport, Vadodara Airport has yet to see the launch of international flights, a long-standing demand of the city. On Wednesday, Vadodara MP Dr Hemang Joshi raised this issue in the Lok Sabha, urging the government to start international services from Vadodara and to increase the frequency of domestic flights.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that a feasibility study has identified four countries, Qatar, Dubai, Singapore, and Malaysia, as potential destinations for direct international flights from Vadodara. If approved, this would help establish air connectivity from the city to the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

Highlighting Vadodara’s aviation history, Dr Joshi noted that the city is home to one of India’s oldest airfields. He recalled that during undivided India, flights operated between Mumbai and Karachi via Vadodara, describing it as a “golden era” that local residents are eager to see revived.

As a result of sustained efforts over the past five sessions of Parliament, allocation for migration and customs facilities at the airport has now been approved. Additionally, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has announced special incentives to encourage airlines to begin operations from Vadodara.

In his statement, Dr Joshi pointed out that although Vadodara Airport is fully equipped for international operations, it continues to be underutilised. He further emphasised that increasing the number of domestic flights would enable more citizens to benefit from affordable air travel under the government’s UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) scheme.

The MP also highlighted that Vadodara Airport serves as a vital hub for several key districts in central and south Gujarat, including Anand, Chhota Udepur, Kheda, Panchmahal, Dahod, and Bharuch. These areas are important from industrial, educational, and tribal development perspectives, and improved air connectivity would directly benefit residents across the region. DeshGujarat