NE NEWS SERVICE
CHENNAI, MAY 31
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin, on Wednesday, requested the Centre to reintroduce the direct air connectivity between Japan capital Tokyo and Chennai and to increase the number of flights between Singapore and Madurai.
டோக்கியோ மற்றும் சென்னை இடையே நேரடி விமான சேவையை மீண்டும் அறிமுகப்படுத்தவும், சிங்கப்பூர்-மதுரை இடையேயான விமானங்களின் எண்ணிக்கையை அதிகரித்திடவும் மாண்புமிகு முதலமைச்சர் @mkstalin அவர்கள் மாண்புமிகு ஒன்றிய அமைச்சர் @JM_Scindia அவர்களுக்குக் கடிதம் எழுதியுள்ளார்.
2/2 pic.twitter.com/pGZ0yUqCAp
— CMOTamilNadu (@CMOTamilnadu) May 31, 2023
- Also requests Centre to increase the number of flights between Singapore and Madurai
- In October 2019, All Nippon Airways (ANA), Japan’s largest airline, launched a direct flight service between Chennai and Tokyo which was discontinued during the Covid 19 pandemic
- Out of the 12 industrial townships established in India under the Japan-India Investment Promotion Partnership Program, three are in Tamil Nadu: Stalin
In a letter written to Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, the chief minister said, “I wish to point out that at present there is no direct air connectivity between Chennai and Tokyo. In October 2019, All Nippon Airways (ANA), Japan’s largest airline, launched a direct air service between Chennai and Tokyo which was discontinued during the Covid 19 pandemic. This service has not been resumed subsequently.”
“The lack of direct air connectivity more than doubles the travel time between these two destinations by about 7 hours, which is significant. There have been persistent requests from the Japanese business community in Tamil Nadu to resume direct flight services between Chennai and Tokyo,” he said.
முதலீட்டாளர்களைத் தமிழ்நாட்டை நோக்கி ஈர்த்திட சிங்கப்பூர்-ஜப்பான் நாடுகளுக்கு நான் மேற்கொண்ட 9 நாள் பயணத்தை நிறைவுசெய்து தாயகம் திரும்புகிறேன்.
என் பயண அனுபவங்களைச் சிறு டைரி குறிப்பு போல் உங்களுடன் பகிர்கிறேன்.https://t.co/6Tfw9Atnvq#LetterToBrethren pic.twitter.com/R9GfUsR2FN
— M.K.Stalin (@mkstalin) May 31, 2023
Stalin, who embarked on the foreign tour on May 23 is scheduled to return home on Wednesday night.
“The state is to host the Global Investors’ Meet in January 2024 and as we seek to attract greater investments from Japan, resumption of direct flights would indeed be a commendable measure,” Stalin said.
He pointed out that of the 12 industrial townships established in India under the Japan-India Investment Promotion Partnership Program, three are in Tamil Nadu. “With more than 600 Japanese companies having establishments in the State, over the last two decades, the influx of Japanese expatriates has slowly increased and I am happy to state that Chennai is home to the largest Japanese community in India,” Stalin said.
“This issue of more air services between Singapore and Madurai was raised by the minister for home affairs and law of the Government of Singapore, K Shanmugham when he met me,” said Stalin. “A similar request was also raised by many members of the Tamil diaspora in Singapore. I would be grateful if the request of permitting more flights to operate between Singapore and Madurai is favourably considered,” Stalin said. The chief minister requested an increase in the number of flights between Singapore and Madurai to at least one daily flight at the earliest.
