To attract Mumbai's top diamond merchants, the Surat Diamond Bourse (SDB) has proposed an innovative solution for airlines. The SDB has offered to cover the cost of any unsold tickets if airlines start twice-daily flights between Mumbai and Surat. This proposal was revealed by Dineshbhai Navadia, the head of SDB's communications committee, on Wednesday, November 22.
The SDB's plan is to ensure a minimum 50% occupancy for each flight. If a flight with a capacity of 175 seats experiences a deficit, the bourse will cover the cost of the remaining seats. It has been reported that the airlines are currently considering their proposal.
The Surat airport is located just 10 minutes away from the SDB. It is expected to see increased aircraft connectivity once the bourse is fully operational. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate the SDB on December 17. Despite a small start, with 135 offices starting for business, the bourse has already seen 26 traders relocate from Mumbai to Surat.
Previously, the only airline providing connectivity between the two cities was SpiceJet, which had to shut down due to COVID. Other airlines, like IndiGo, connect Surat to various other cities but not Mumbai. But there has been a continuous decrease in air travel to Surat in recent years, with passenger numbers dropping from 84,070 in 2018–19 to 20,022 in 2022–23.
The SDB, which spans 6.7 million square feet on 35 acres in Khajod, has been working tirelessly to improve both its local and global connectivity. The SDB core team met with the prime minister and the minister of aviation, Jyotiraditya Scindia, in August to discuss the inauguration date and presented a memorandum requesting weekly flights from Surat to international destinations and daily flights to Dubai and Hong Kong.
Despite excellent rail connections between Mumbai and Surat and the upcoming Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train, the SDB is still trying to increase air travel to boost its numbers. The main goal is to establish Surat as the new diamond hub.
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