Uttar Pradesh in the coming months will become the first state in the country to operate five international airports, said Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath as he stressed the need for air connectivity for development.
He said currently nine airports are fully functional in the state and this has played a big role in its development.
"Air connectivity is the need of the hour and during the past five years, the state government has taken steps in this direction and has achieved great success," the CM said at the launch of the AirAsia service from Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport here.
"In 2017, the air connectivity from Lucknow was limited to only 15 cities, today the Lucknow airport is providing air services to 30 destinations. In the coming time, Uttar Pradesh will be the first state to operate five international airports," Adityanath said, according to a statement.
Adityanath said AirAsia has shown a positive approach by launching its service from Lucknow.
Keeping in view the population and capacity of the state, the pace of development will accelerate through better air connectivity, he added.
Addressing the program through the virtual medium, Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said it’s a historic day for Lucknow and the country.
Lucknow residents can now go to every corner of the country, Scindia said, adding that this was made possible only because of the efforts of Adityanath.
As many as 63 new routes have been started in Uttar Pradesh under the UDAN scheme and their number will soon be increased to 108 routes, he said.