The Union government's move to do away with airport and navigational charges for the airlines in tier II and tier III cities has opened up new vistas for Surat airport. The move is a bid to encourage air connectivity in such cities. At present, Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry is in talks with IndiGo and AirAsia for connecting Surat with domestic and international destinations.    

Both the companies have expressed their willingness to start operations from Surat. Surat's frequent flyers and members of the 'We Want a Working Airport at Surat' (WWWAS) believe that the Union government's move would attract airline companies to start operations from Surat airport and there would be more players willing to connect Surat with other places. Currently, SpiceJet and Air India have been providing air connectivity to Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore and some destinations from Surat.    

WWWAS is expecting leading airline companies like Jet Airways, IndiGo, AirAsia etc to expand their network to Surat after the waiver being offered by the Union Civil Aviation Ministry.