At least four low-cost airlines are ready to start services from Ahmedabad in the next one month even as the first aircraft of Spice Jet, promoted by Royal Airlines, would take off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Airport to Indira Gandhi Airport in Delhi in another week's time.

While Spice Jet has finalised its first flight from Ahmedabad, the Vijay Mallya-promoted Kingfisher Airlines, Go Airways promoted by Nusli Wadia and the Bangalore-based Air One have also decided to fly from the city to various destinations in the country within a month.

The trend is also expected to make the not-much-happening Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel airport a happening place.

So far only Jet Airways and Indian Airlines have regular flights from here with Air Sahara having only one flight connecting Ahmedabad with Hyderabad.

Among low-cost carriers, Air Deccan has been operating but that too not as a significant player though the domestic passenger numbers from Ahmedabad has witnessed over a 15 per cent increase on a year-to-year basis.

This is happening at a time when various international airlines like Air Lanka, Thai Airways, and Slovak Airlines, which were planning to commence their operations from Ahmedabad early 2005 have postponed their plans to start services from Ahmedabad.

One of the reasons being cited by industry sources for this is lack of proper infrastructure in the international terminal of the airport.

However, with the recent funds flowing in from the Centre, work has already been started to develop the international terminal further and things are now moving at a faster speed, said officials of the Airport Authority of India (AAI), which, however, has sounded like consolations for aspiring overseas fliers from Gujarat who still need to take most of their flights to overseas either from Mumbai or from New Delhi.

"But with the arrival of low-cost aircraft, there are reasons to cheer as the domestic airport will now be a happening one," said a member of the Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry and a prominent industrialist.

"Apart from Spice Jet, Kingfisher Airlines, and Go Airways, a couple of few low-cost airline companies like Bangalore-based Air One among others have expressed desire to commence their operations, while Air Deccan is planning to enhance its network from Ahmedabad

At least half-a-dozen low-cost airline companies would be operating from Ahmedabad in the next few months," said Suresh Awasthi, airport director, Ahmedabad Airport, AAI, on Monday.

Spice Jet is planning launch its Delhi-Ahmedabad inaugural flight next week. The airline will further enhance its operation in the Ahmedabad-Bangalore, and Ahmedabad-Mumbai sectors.

Similarly, Kingfisher Airlines has already applied for slot approval with the Ahmedabad airport authorities, while Go Airways is planning to launch its Mumbai-Ahmedabad-Mumbai flight soon.

While talking about congestion at Ahmedabad airport with new airlines companies commencing operations, Awasthi said, "We will provide space and time slot to most of the domestic and international airlines, who are planning to commence their operations from Ahmedabad. We will try to accommodate most of the airlines companies with the existing infrastructure till the new international terminal is ready. We will provide time slot to the upcoming airlines company in such a way that it will not clash with the time of any other operator."

At present Ahmedabad airport handles Singapore Airlines and Malaysia Airlines in the international sector and Jet Airways, Sahara Airlines and Air Deccan in the domestic sector apart from the state-owned Air-India and Indian Airlines for both the sectors.