CM Yogi inaugurates first air service between Lucknow, Varanasi

LUCKNOW: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath inaugurated the first flight service from Lucknow to Varanasi on Thursday, said an official statement. The service, launched by IndiGo Airlines, will complete the journey between Varanasi and Lucknow in just 55 minutes.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the flight held at Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport, the Chief Minister described the launch of the flight to connect the state capital with the spiritual capital of the nation as "much-needed" and a "commendable effort". He added, “This service will fulfill the commitment of the Prime Minister's Udaan Scheme, which aims to allow even the common man wearing slippers to travel by air.”

The Chief Minister expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Civil Aviation of the Government of India and IndiGo Airlines on behalf of the people of the state, said the statement. He stated that the demand of entrepreneurs, businessmen, representatives, enlightened society, and pilgrims visiting the Vishwanath Dham in Varanasi was being met today with the launch of the air service between Varanasi and Lucknow., it added.

CM Yogi further stated that, under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, Varanasi has established new milestones in the realms of spirituality, culture, and physical development, said the statement.

“Considering this progress, it was crucial for Varanasi to be connected with Lucknow through air. In the year 2016-17, Varanasi Airport saw only 19 lakh passengers in a year, but today, in 2022–23, this number has grown to more than 25 lakh passengers”, he added.

The Chief Minister highlighted that in the past 6 years, there has been a rapid expansion of air services in Uttar Pradesh. Initially, in 2017, there were only two active airports in Varanasi and Lucknow whereas presently, there are 9 fully operational airports in the state, added the statement. He mentioned that the state government is now expeditiously preparing 12 more airports, including two international airports, and among these, the Ayodhya Airport will become fully operational in December.

Similarly, the first runway of Asia's largest Jewar Airport will also be completed by the end of this year, it added. The Chief Minister revealed that in the past, no one even thought about domestic airports, but today the work of connecting Azamgarh, Shravasti, Chitrakoot, Aligarh, Moradabad, and Saharanpur with air services is progressing rapidly, said the official statement. He emphasized that the country is currently in a phase of healthy competition wherein safety and punctuality in air services are particularly essential. He said that around 2000 new aircraft are set to enter the Indian market soon, which will elevate people's aspirations to new heights, it added.

The Chief Minister further asserted, “even though the distance from Lucknow to Varanasi is around 300 kilometers, the necessity for this air service was undeniable. We need to grasp the importance of Varanasi.” "On the occasion of the launch of the first flight service, all the MLAs from Varanasi are travelling to Varanasi, and they will return similarly by air, he CM said.

The statement also said that the Chief Minister, while providing the first ticket of the Lucknow to Varanasi flight service to a female passenger, extended best wishes to all travelers for a comfortable journey.

On this occasion, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation General Dr. VK Singh, joined through video conferencing from New Delhi. During the program, State Tourism Minister Jaiveer Singh, Cabinet Minister Anil Rajbhar, Minister of State (Independent Charge) Ravindra Jaiswal, Dr Dayashankar Mishra Dayalu, Chief Secretary of the state Durgashankar Mishra, Director-General of Police Vijay Kumar, Principal Secretary (Home) Sanjay Prasad, CEO of IndiGo Peter Elbers, Special Director of IndiGo R.K. Singh, and Chief Minister's advisor Awanish Awasthi were present, said the statement.

The IndiGo flight service between Lucknow and Varanasi has been started for three days a week, namely Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, for now, said the statement.

The IndiGo flight with flight number 6E-7319 will depart from Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport in Lucknow at 2:20 PM and will arrive at Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Varanasi at 3:30 PM after a 1-hour and 10-minute journey. Similarly, the IndiGo flight with flight number 6E-7321 will depart from Varanasi Airport on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 4:05 PM and will arrive at Lucknow Airport 55 minutes later, stated the official statement.