The stage is set for the operation of the maiden flight to Dubai with SpiceJet planning to hold an inaugural ceremony at its check-in counter before the departure of the flight at 11.35 p.m. on Friday.
A spokesperson for the airliner said the airline had deployed Boeing 737-800, a 189-seater aircraft, for the daily flight.
The Tamil Nadu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TNCCI) plans to take a 36-member delegation on the inaugural flight.
The delegation plans to participate in SIAL Middle East Food Processing Exhibition in Abu Dhabi, and then to go to Cairo for a two-way tourism promotional event, a release said.
In another release, B.S.G. Musthafa, president, Travel Club-Madurai, said the air connectivity between Madurai and Dubai was the result of joint efforts taken by his club, the TNCCI, Tamil Nadu Foodgrains Merchants Association and many other organisations.
“It is time to work on connectivity to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore from Madurai,” S. Rethinavelu, senior president of the TNCCI, said.
Efforts were under way for the introduction of a flight service to Singapore in January, he noted.
He hoped that the Madurai airport would soon begin airlifting cargo as more than five months had elapsed since the Department of Revenue under the Union Ministry of Finance issued a notification permitting the airport to handle cargo.