Airlines to start operations at Ludhiana from June
Saturday, 20/05/2017
http://epaper.dailypostindia.com/Details.aspx?id=176842&boxid=59088&uid=&dat=2017-05-20
Ludhiana : Flights from Sahnewal airport here under the regional connectivity scheme will start from the next month, local MP Ravneet Singh Bittu said on Friday.
He said that the Punjab government will help the airlines under the scheme, also known as Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik (UDAN).
“The state government and the Centre will provide financial aid to the airlines if they suffer loss,” the parliamentarian said.
Industrial potential of Ludhiana has suffered due to lack of regular air connectivity, he said.
“Despite structural bottleneck of short length of the air strip, the scheme will ensure regular and reliable air connectivity,” he said.
Increasing the length of the air strip is also being considered to help make optimal use of the Ludhiana airport, he said.
The Ludhiana airport will first handle flights to Delhi and thereafter to Mumbai and other important cities, he said. Alliance Air would start flights to Ludhiana from June and Deccan Charters will also launch service in August, he said. Ever since the launch of the UDAN scheme, that seeks to make flying more affordable, Ludhiana being one of the top industrial destination remained under-utilised despite having aviation infrastructure at Sahnewal airport, he said.
‘flights from Mohali, Amritsar to Nanded to start from July’
Chandigarh : Anandpur Sahib MP and Shiromani Akali Dal General Secretary Prof Prem Singh Chandumajra on Friday announced that direct flights from Mohali and Amritsar international airports to Nanded would commence from July.
He said the assurance to this effect was given to him by Union Aviation Minister P Gajapathi Raju at a meeting in New Delhi on Friday afternoon. The flights would be started by Air India for which all arrangements were being put in place.
This would be a big facility to the Sikh pilgrims visiting Takht Hazoor Sahib at Nanded. He had earlier raised this issue twice in the Lok Sabha. He said Raju informed him on Friday about the assurance being implemented. He thanked the Union Minister for introducing these facilities for this region.
