Travelers between Indore and Abu Dhabi once spent seven to eight hours in transit, routing through Delhi or Mumbai. That changes now. The new Air India Express direct service covers the distance in three hours and 15 minutes, and Chief Minister Mohan Yadav flagged it off Wednesday at Devi Ahilyabai Holkar International Airport in Indore.
The fare difference is just as striking. Passengers previously paid between Rs 24,000 and Rs 25,000 for a connecting ticket. On the new route, fares are expected to fall between Rs 12,000 and Rs 15,000. That drop is made possible by Viability Gap Funding of Rs 15 lakh per round trip, which Madhya Pradesh is providing under its Civil Aviation Policy 2025. This is the state’s first international air service funded under that policy.
The flight runs four days a week, on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. The inaugural departure from Indore carried roughly 100 passengers. The return flight from Abu Dhabi brought approximately 170 travelers, a figure the state government will likely watch closely as a signal of sustained demand.
Meanwhile, Yadav used the launch ceremony to place the route inside a wider economic argument. A direct link to Abu Dhabi, he said, would strengthen bilateral ties between India and the United Arab Emirates and open new channels for trade, investment, and tourism. The Malwa-Nimar region, he added, stands to benefit particularly from closer Gulf connectivity.
The Abu Dhabi service is one piece of a broader airport push across Madhya Pradesh. Since taking office, Yadav said three new airports have been inaugurated in the state, with two more under construction in Ujjain and Shivpuri. Domestic routes have already launched on Rewa-Delhi, Rewa-Indore, and Rewa-Raipur. Further connections are in development, including Jabalpur-Kolkata, Bhopal-Rewa, Bhopal-Patna, and Rewa-Kolkata.
Helicopter services are expanding too. Yadav said efforts are underway to extend helicopter connectivity from Indore to Ujjain and Omkareshwar, adding a regional layer to the state’s air transport network.
The government is also working to bring the Regional Air Connectivity Scheme to additional districts, including Shajapur, Neemuch, Chhindwara, and Mandla. That suggests the subsidy model being tested on the Abu Dhabi route could eventually be replicated for domestic connections in underserved parts of the state.
Whether passenger numbers on the Indore-Abu Dhabi corridor grow beyond those early bookings will be the real test of whether a government subsidy can turn a new route into a durable one.