Aviation Dream Hits Turbulence at Surat Airport

Surat, Gujarat – India’s ambitious stride towards becoming a global aviation superpower, championed by the highest echelons of government, is being alarmingly undercut by a stark reality on the ground: the baffling neglect of Surat International Airport.

Despite a proud inauguration by Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself just over a year ago, following a ₹150 crore terminal expansion, this “international” gateway shockingly remains devoid of fundamental passenger amenities like lounges, liquor shops, ATMs, and even a prayer room.

This glaring disconnect between the Centre’s soaring vision and the Airports Authority of India’s (AAI) stagnant execution has drawn the sharp critique of aviation expert Rajesh Modi, who has penned a scathing letter to Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, exposing a bureaucratic inertia that threatens to betray the Prime Minister’s own investment and aspirations.

Minister Naidu’s recent pronouncements at the IATA AGM, emphasizing India’s trajectory to become a global aviation hub with “independent and self-sufficient” networks, resonated with a nation eager for progress. Yet, as Modi’s letter brutally highlights, Surat’s operational shortcomings are a stark antithesis to this inspiring rhetoric. “Your recent statement at the IATA AGM… is both visionary and commendable,” Modi writes, before delivering the hard truth: “However, it is extremely unfortunate that Surat Airport… still lacks basic facilities.”

The core of the problem, according to Modi, lies firmly within the AAI’s commercial department at Surat. Despite tenders for these crucial passenger facilities being issued as far back as February 2023 (Tender Nos. 2023_AAI_142733_1 and 2023_AAI_142718_1), the on-ground execution has been abysmal. “This bureaucratic delay,” Modi asserts, “earlier cited seems to have now devolved into a sheer lack of will and urgency.” He points fingers directly at the “lacklustre approach” of key AAI officials, including the Member HR, ED HR, and Chairman Office, whose inaction “damages the image and utility of a terminal inaugurated by the Prime Minister himself.”

The implications of this neglect are far-reaching. Surat, a thriving commercial hub, now operates international flights to Dubai, Sharjah, and Bangkok with nearly daily frequencies. Yet, international passengers are subjected to a substandard experience, an embarrassment that “diminishes not only the city’s but also the nation’s image on the global aviation map.”

Modi’s letter directly challenges the Minister to demand accountability: “Why is the commercial team at Surat Airport not aligned with your Ministry’s vision and the Prime Minister’s mission…? Why have basic airport passenger facilities not been made operational even after 2 years of tender publication? Who is accountable for the continued red-tape and bureaucratic inertia…?”

The appeal to Minister Naidu is urgent and direct: intervene personally to “direct the relevant AAI officials to expedite the tendering and execution process for all commercial services,” ensure “full-scale functionality of the terminal building,” and “consider administrative accountability for the current delay.” The threat of escalation to the Prime Minister’s Office is not veiled. “If urgent steps are not taken,” Modi warns, “we will be left with no option but to escalate this matter… since the situation amounts to a betrayal of the PM’s own vision and investment in Surat’s aviation infrastructure.”