Indore: Maiden international flight from the city will take off from Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport likely in the month of July even though the city airport authority received the nod for setting up Immigration Check Posts (ICP), which is essential for international flights. On Wednesday last, the Government of India notified Indore airport as an international airport through a Gazette notification and also gave permission to set up Immigration Check Points at the airport.
A top ranking officer of a leading airliner told this correspondent that issuance of notification does not mean new international flights will be rolled out soon. But the notification paves the way for setting up of ICP. It will open the doors for the airlines to roll out global flights. But they will take decision on the basis of feasibility. Sources said that though the Air India has taken the lead by preparing a tentative schedule of its proposed Indore-Sharjah flight. But even if it submits its proposal to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) tomorrow, then the maiden flight from the city airport could take off in the first week of July.
Talking to Free Press, Dhanajay, PRO Air India, said: “Our efforts are moving in a positive direction. But it is not possible for us to roll out International flight from Indore very soon. The Air India would operate flights for Sharjah thrice a week. The A-I prepared for it much before imposition of Model Code of Conduct but till that day the city airport could not have facility of ICP. So the proposal was kept on hold. Now it would be able to file a proposal before the DGCA.
The aviation regulator will check the availability of flying slots both at Indore and Sharjah. Definitely, slots will be available here but it’s not sure about Sharjah. In the meantime, deployment of staff at the ICP has to be done.Once, any airliner gets approval from the DGCA, it will have to upload the flight operation schedule on its system. The airline has to earmark an aircraft and members of crew also. In nutshell, in the first week of July it would be possible for airlines to roll out flights from the city.
