“At one time, air services in the state were limited and facilities were negligible, but today the simultaneous launch of four new flights presents a picture of a changing Madhya Pradesh and a changing India. He said that the biggest benefit of these services would be in the form of time savings. Flights between Bhopal and Rewa will operate four days a week, while flights between Bhopal-Patna, Rewa-Kolkata and Jabalpur-Kolkata will operate three days a week. At present, travel between these cities by road or rail takes 12 to 24 hours, whereas the same distance will be covered in just two to two and a half hours through direct air services,” the CM said.
“Along with being the heartland of the country, Madhya Pradesh has the potential to become an important hub for connectivity between various states. Commencement of these direct flights would save both time and money for industrialists, traders and tourists. At the same time, direct connectivity of industrial centres such as Rewa and Jabalpur with Kolkata would open the doors to larger markets for local industries and the MSME sector. Between November 2025 and August 2026, services were started on eight new air routes in the state in just ten months, including the Indore-Abu Dhabi international flight,” Yadav added.
Madhya Pradesh currently has eight airports, more than 20 airstrips and 220 helipads. Yadav said the expansion of air services was not limited to transportation, but was infrastructure that would accelerate investment, industry, tourism and employment.
Addressing the programme, Naidu said civil aviation infrastructure had expanded rapidly in Madhya Pradesh. Along with the expansion of facilities in Bhopal, Indore and Gwalior, new airports had been developed in Satna, Datia and Rewa.
Madhya Pradesh’s civil aviation policy was effective in increasing connectivity and could be considered among the best aviation policies of the states in the country.
“As a result, international connectivity from Indore and new air routes such as Rewa-Kolkata, Rewa-Patna, Jabalpur-Kolkata and Bhopal-Rewa are being launched,” the Union minister said.
Naidu said work would be undertaken jointly with the state government to connect other cities in the state with air services. “Work is being carried out on the possibilities of converting around ten airstrips in the state into airports and developing greenfield airports in some cities,” he said.