MADURAI: The Agri & All Trade Chamber from Madurai has today expressed its deep anguish and concern for not including Madurai and Madurai airport in the list of 18 points given to ASEAN countries for tourism in India by the Union Civil Aviation Ministry of Government of India.
S.Rethinavelu, president, Agri & All Trade Chamber, has issued an urgent press statement on March 7th 2025 appealing to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Mr.M.K.Stalin to intervene and take quick steps for inclusion of Madurai as one of the additional point of tourism city along with 18 points already offered to ASEAN countries (Association of South East Asian Nations) so that they can introduce direct flights to Madurai without BASA agreement (Bilateral Airport Services Agreement).
‘IT IS VERY SHOCKING’:
Giving details about this issue, he said that ASEAN open skies policy-ASEAN Single Aviation Market (ASAM) came into force on January 1st 2015 to promote air connectivity and tourists between India and ASEAN countries.
“India has offered 18 additional points of tourism in our country, but unfortunately Madurai is not there in that list. The 18 points given by the Civil Aviation Ministry are Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Aurangabad, Bhubaneswar, Calicut, Cochin, Gaya, Goa, Guwahati, Jaipur, Khajuraho, Lucknow, Patna, Port Blair, Thiruvananthapuram, Trichy, Varanasi and Visakhapatnam. In this list, it is very much shocking that Madurai airport and Madurai which is a prominent tourism spot of India with world famous Meenakshi Temple and having connectivity to top pilgrimage centres like Rameswaram, Dhanushkodi, Kanyakumari, Kodaikanal and Courtallam etc was not included whereas less important tourism centres were included,” Mr.S.Rethinavelu had pointed out.
APPEAL TO UNION CIVIL AVIATION MINISTER:
He urged that immediate steps must be taken to add Madurai as an additional point of tourism along with 18 points already offered to ASEAN, enabling atleast the ASEAN countries to introduce direct flights to Madurai airport without waiting for BASA (Bilateral Airport Services Agreement).
In this regard, the Agri & All Trade Chamber in Madurai has sought an appointment with Union Minister of Civil Aviation Mr.Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu to discuss the issue and the intervention of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Mr.M.K.Stalin was sought to get justice to people of southern Tamil Nadu from the hands of Civil Aviation Ministry of Government of India.
“Madurai airport is being neglected with step-motherly treatment and we doubt a negative force behind it. It is pertinent to note that Madurai airport is maintaining top position among the 11 Customs airports in India handling international passengers. In January 2025, Madurai airport handled 20,273 passengers with only three international destinations from the airport here. If Madurai-Singapore flight is withdrawn, it will be a huge loss. It is time to open up international competition in flight services also to stop exorbitant flight fares and fleecing of passengers by airliners due to limited number of aircraft,” Mr.S.Rethinavelu has expressed concern in a press release issued from Madurai today-March 7th 2025-stating that Madurai airport has missed a golden opportunity because Madurai was not included as tourism spots by the Union Ministry.
