Surat to get flights to Delhi, Bangalore and Kolkata

The diamond city, Surat, will soon have direct air connectivity to Delhi, Bangalore and Kolkata. In a meeting held between officials of Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industries (SGCCI) and Kingfisher Airlines at Surat on Tuesday, the country’s only five star domestic airline has agreed to operate flights from Surat to these cities.

SGCCI president Ajoy Bhattacharya said, "We had a meeting of Kingfisher vice president Elsa D'Silva and vice president (sales) Bhanu Kaila and almost 40 representatives from corporate houses and industries. At the end of the meeting, Kingfisher Airlines have expressed their readiness to start flights to Delhi, Bangalore and Kolkata from the city."

Bhanu Kaila said that the Vijay Mallya led company is thinking of starting flights from Surat. "We have received good inputs about city and the airline is thinking of starting to launch flights from here," she said adding the company may take two to three months before taking a final decision.

Elsa D'Silva said that they will be ready to start operations from Surat even if they get less than 60 passengers per flight. 
Bhattacharya added that the SGCCI is going to hold an important exhibition in January next year. It will be a huge benefit to the city if these flights start before that, he said.

Meanwhile industry sources said that Surat is unlikely to get a flight to Mumbai since a runway is under construction in Mumbai airport. The airport authorities are even trying to reduce the present number of flights. So it is highly unlikely that they will grant permission to a new flight in this scenario, said the sources.