Shirdi: 

The new nocturnal aerial service will make it quicker and hassle-free for those willing to have darshan of Shirdi Sai Baba, as they can wrap up their travel in a day.

With the water salute of the maiden Indigo flight at the Shirdi International Airport, the 'Hyderabad-Shirdi Night Landing' flight service was officially launched on Sunday on the auspicious occasion of Gudi Padwa, sending an air of excitement among the devotees.

The ATR flight with 60 flyers took off from Hyderabad at 9:30 for Shirdi Airport and again departed from Hyderabad at 10:30 pm with another batch of devotees. The airport administration and devotees were witnesses to this historic moment. On this occasion, former BJP MP Sujay Vikhe welcomed the flyers with bouquets, the famous Bundi Prasad of Sai Baba and cakes.

For the last two years, the nocturnal flight service had to wait for the final nod. The biggest advantage of this service is that devotees will now be able to attend the Kakad Aarti of Sai Baba in the morning by availing the flight the previous night.

"The introduction of the night landing facility at Shirdi Airport will bring great relief to devotees by enabling quick and easy travel and boosting the local economy in a bigger way. The new service has elevated the status of Shirdi Airport," Vikhe said, expressing hope that the air traffic in Shirdi will increase further.

Indigo has added two additional aircraft for the diurnal and nocturnal flight operations. In addition, it started a regular flight service on the Hyderabad-Shirdi-Hyderabad route with a capacity of 78 passengers from Sunday Night. With this, a total of 11 aircraft will operate from Shirdi Airport daily, which will cater to approximately 3,000 passengers daily. Which is a significant development from the point of view of growth and infrastructure in the aviation industry.

"The night landing service will boost the development of Shirdi and the surrounding areas. The increase in passengers will boost the local economy and benefit hotels, transport and tourism sectors," Vikhe said.

Other airlines have also shown interest in the night flight operations, and more new destinations are likely to be connected to Shirdi in the future, making the travel experience of devotees more convenient and affordable.

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