Indore, July 15 (IANS) Chief Minister Mohan Yadav will flag off Madhya Pradesh’s first international air service on Wednesday from Indore, marking a historic milestone in the state’s aviation growth. The inaugural flight under the Madhya Pradesh Civil Aviation Policy-2025 will connect Indore directly to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Operated by Air India Express, which is a Tata Group company, the Indore-Abu Dhabi flight will operate four days a week — on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.

This direct service is expected to significantly benefit the people of the Malwa-Nimar region. At present, travellers have to take connecting flights via Delhi or Mumbai, which takes around 7 to 8 hours.

The new direct flight will reduce the travel time to just about 3 hours and 15 minutes. The new route is anticipated to give a major boost to trade, investment, tourism, and industrial activities between Madhya Pradesh and the UAE.

It will also strengthen people-to-people connections, especially for the large NRI population from the region.

Under the Civil Aviation Policy-2025, the state government has already approved eight new air routes. Services have commenced on four routes, while the remaining will become operational soon.

The Madhya Pradesh Civil Aviation Policy-2025 aims to strengthen the state’s aviation ecosystem by offering Viability Gap Funding (VGF) of up to ₹10 lakh for new domestic air routes and up to ₹15 lakh for international routes.

The policy has also fixed an effective VAT rate of just 1 per cent on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) for aircraft parked overnight at state airports.

Also, it provides capital subsidies of up to 40 per cent for maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) projects as well as for air cargo projects.

To promote skill development, the policy offers a capital subsidy of up to 40 per cent for flying training organisations (FTOs) that instal simulators.

It also provides financial assistance covering 60 per cent of the fees — up to a maximum of ₹1 lakh — for non-simulator training courses.

–IANS

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