Azad said work on the infrastructure at the airport would be expedited to enable international flights land directly in Srinagar in about one and a half years time.
"It is very important to have good infrastructure, including customs and immigration facilities, at the airport before allowing international flights," he told reporters before flagging off the inaugural Srinagar-Delhi Air Deccan flight.
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On the domestic front, he said with the Air Deccan Delhi-Srinagar flights, a total of 32 aircraft from Delhi would be landing in Srinagar in a week. The figure would be around 50 if the flights via Jammu are included.
Expressing satisfaction with the number of wide-bodied aircraft, he said there was now a need for smaller aircraft and helicopter services to connect tourist destinations in the state. A three-tier air operation would be very helpful in boosting tourism in the state, he said.
He called upon Air Deccan Managing Director G R Gopinath to connect various parts of the state. "I will advertise and you bring tourists," he said.
Calling upon all airlines to launch their services in Jammu and Kashmir, the Chief Minister said the potential of the state should not be measured in terms of its population, but according to its status as the world famous tourist destination.
Azad further said the thrust of his government in the next two years would be to create infrastructure to help boost tourism. He said the tourism sector was again picking up after the fall in the 1990s and there was a need to have infrastructure, including hotels, to keep up the growth and attract tourists.
