Udaipur, March 29, 2025: Continuing his quest for enhancing connectivity to and from Udaipur, Dr. Mannalal Rawat, Udaipur MP has now raised the important issue of enhancing air connectivity options for the city. Earlier this week, his efforts to secure better rail connectivity between Udaipur and Mumbai have met with success, after the Union Minister for Railways, Ashwani Vaishnaw directed the department to proceed with enhancing the rail connectivity options.

Now, during the March 28 session in the Lok Sabha, the  MP exercised his power to raise matter of urgent public importance under Rule 377 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Lok Sabha, to bring to the forefront Udaipur's air connectivitiy enhancement needs.

The MP, in his demands, asked for the relevant Ministry to look into provision of night time air services from the Udaipur airport, allowance for special flights to the airport and most importantly, the long standing matter to begin international flights to and from Udaipur. In his address, Dr. Rawat re-emphasised that the history, culture, heritage and natural habitat of Udaipur have allowed a place of significant importance in the global tourism circuit. Over the last decade Udaipur has burst into the destination and royal wedding circut by becoming the place of choice for destination weddings. Of later the city has also been recognised as MICE destination. All of this, coupled with the fact that Udaipur holds the key to immediate access into Rajasthan, especially southern Rajasthan, which is also a major business hub, justifies the need for enhanced rail as well as air connectivity.

Current Air Connectivity Status

Currrently, as far as air connectivity is concerned, Udaipur is directly connected to nine cities in India, viz. Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Indore, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Bhopal and very recently Noida. There are five flights each between Udaipur -Mumbai and Udaipur - Delhi, followed by three for Jaipur and one each for Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Bangalore, Noida, Hyderabad and Indore. The flights operate across two shifts, morning and evening. Further, scheduled and private flights are not able to operate at night as there is no permission from DGCA, despite the Maharana Pratap Airport at Dabok having all the necessary facilities for night air service. Thousands of passengers across India face difficulty in connecting with Udaipur due to these limited options and limitations. The airport, yet to be designated for international services, also hinders tourism and business travel significantly.  A large population in southern Rajasthan consists of NRIs, specially in the Gulf countries, who have to travel  via Mumbai, Delhi and Ahmedabad to reach Udaipur.

What is Rule 377

Members of the Lok Sabha are permitted by the Speaker to raise matter of urgent public importance under Rule 377 of the 'Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Lok Sabha'. The  Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs is the nodal Ministry for ensuring that follow up action is taken by the Ministries on the matters raised under Rule 377 and special mentions and timely replies are given.