Rajnath Singh flags off inaugural flight from Lucknow to Najaf in Iraq

Rajnath Singh

Lucknow: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh Thursday flagged off the inaugural flight from Uttar Pradesh's capital city to Najaf in Iraq.

Speaking on the occasion, he said the government wants remotest areas of the country to have air connectivity.

Singh, who is the Lok Sabha MP from Lucknow, added that the UDAN scheme, aimed at making air travel affordable and widespread, is playing an important role in this regard.

The number of airports has reached 100 in the country and the government wants to facilitate air travel for every person, he said.

Lucknow has a large number of Shia population and their demand for a direct flight to Najaf was pending for long.

Najaf is a city in Iraq, which has great religious significance, especially among Shia Muslims.

The five-and-a-half-hour flight from Lucknow to Najaf will operate on Mondays and Thursdays.

Along with facilitating passengers, the air connectivity, it is expected, will promote tourism between the two countries.

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International, and Hatke news here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get the latest updates

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability, and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.