On Friday, Minister of Civil Aviation, Shri Jyotiraditya Scindia, flagged off multiple direct flights connecting Surat to Bengaluru, Delhi, and Kolkata. AirAsia India expressed joy saying it is Bringing the sparkle to the city of Diamonds. The "City of Diamonds" generally refers to Surat, a city in Gujarat known for its thriving diamond industry, which accounts for a significant portion of India's diamond exports. AirAsia India will operate Airbus 320 aircraft on these 21 weekly flights from March 03, 2023, as per the schedule below.
AirAsia India Bengaluru Surat Flight Schedule
| Sl. No | Flight No. | Origin | Departure | Destination | Arrival | Frequency |
| 1 | I5 612 | Bengaluru | 14:25 | Surat | 16:15 | Daily |
| 2 | I5 613 | Surat | 16:45 | Bengaluru | 19:00 | Daily |
AirAsia India Delhi Surat Flight Schedule
| Sl. No | Flight No. | Origin | Departure | Destination | Arrival | Frequency |
| 3 | I5 744 | Delhi | 08:20 | Surat | 10:00 | Daily |
| 4 | I5 745 | Surat | 11:00 | Delhi | 12:40 | Daily |
Surat Airport accorded a water canon salute to the inaugural AirAsia India flight I5 744 from Delhi to Surat.
AirAsia India Kolkata Surat Flight Schedule
| Sl. No | Flight No. | Origin | Departure | Destination | Arrival | Frequency |
| 5 | I5 588 | Kolkata | 14:05 | Surat | 16:25 | Daily |
| 6 | I5 592 | Surat | 17:00 | Kolkata | 19:45 | Daily |
City of Joy, Kolkata, gets connected to Diamond city. The inaugural flight from Kolkata Airport had 177 passengers on board.
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In his inaugural address, Minister of Civil Aviation Shri Jyotiraditya Scindia said that with the commencement of these new routes, Surat, which is already a business and entrepreneurship hub, will now be connected to 10 cities, including one international city. To put this into perspective, he said that Surat was connected with only 2 cities prior to 2014.
The occasion was graced by Shri Balwantsinh Rajput, Minister of Civil Aviation, Rural Development, Labour and Employment, Government of Gujarat, Shri Jagdish Vishkarma, Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Government of Gujarat and Shri C R Patil, MP, Gujarat. Shri. Asangba Chuba Ao, Joint Secretary, MOCA, and other officials from MoCA, AAI, Government of Gujarat, and Air Asia were also present.
New Terminal, Surat
The Surat airport redevelopment has received government approval of Rs 350 crores, including Rs 163 crores allocated for the construction of a new terminal building. The airport's passenger holding capacity will expand from 17.5 lakh to 26 lakh passengers upon completion. The project will also involve the development of new airport aprons, with a total investment of Rs 72 crores. The new terminal is expected to be finished by mid-2023.
The Minister emphasized the remarkable expansion of air connectivity in Surat and Gujarat. He stated that before 2014, Surat only had 36 weekly flights. However, under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the number has surged by 322% to 152 flights per week. Gujarat currently boasts ten airports, and two new greenfield airports, Dholera and Hirasar, are in the works with investments of Rs 1305 crores and Rs 1405 crores, respectively.
