Interview with Commissioner Bhopal Division in Madhya Pradesh Kavindra Kiyawat

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Frequent fliers across the globe are running a mass campaign on a #Facebook group with around 40 thousand members for better air connectivity,The hashtag is trending on twitter 

 Few members from the group along with Retd. IAS officer Yogendra Sharma met the  Kavindra Kiyawat , Commissioner Bhopal Division in Madhya Pradesh.  Here is a summary of the discussion
 
What according to you is the current scenario of air connectivity from Bhopal ? 

The airport has limited operations connecting few cities while the footfall dropped to less than half. Surprisingly, none of the private airlines are interested to operate from here. This, at a time when several private carriers have expanded their operations in Indore and Raipur. It has practically no flight service to East and South India. In past two years, Bhopal has lost connectivity with important destinations. The Government is working to improve the situation and has initiated several talks with Airline companies.  

What are the benefits that airlines can get from Bhopal ?

Since Delhi and Mumbai airports are already overcrowded, with slots and parking bays not easily available, Bhopal can be looked at as an ideal destination for parking aircraft overnight,” he added. He said state government will extend full support, including all available incentives, to airlines to operate from Bhopal, provided they increase connectivity and reduce fares.The state subsidy
will be in addition to the centers UDAN scheme benefits given to registered aviation companies.


What can be done in coming months to increase the momentum of this campaign ?

Since elections are coming so 2- 3 months administration will be more focused on elections. 
Increase the momentum and add more people to the campaign.The Government will continue to put the efforts to bring positive results,