Punjab ramps up its air connectivity

Chandigarh airport to commence international flights and an MoU has been signed for an airport in Ludhiana

The Union Territory of Chandigarh, which is on its way to be the top twenty 'Smart Cities of India', will have its state-of-the-art international airport operational from 11th September. Private airlines IndiGo and Spice Jet  got the approval for international flights and government-run Air India is on the close heels of getting the approval.

According to the sources in the Department of Civil Aviation Punjab, the international travelers from here will have a direct connectivity to Doha, Dubai, Tashkent, Bangkong and Singapore. With the upgradation, the airport will be able to handle 2.5 million passengers in a year from its present capacity of 1.2 million a year. The Chandigarh Airport operates as a civil enclave at the Chandigarh Air force Station of the Indian Air Force. The airport is spread between Chandigarh and Mohali.

Punjab has the basic infrastructure for the airports available at Bathinda, Pathankot and Ludhiana too and the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal is quite aggressively working to align with private partners to improve the air connectivity in the state.

Punjab Government signed a memorandum of understanding with Bengal Aerotropolis Projects (BAPL) early this year for setting up an international airport near Macchiwara in Ludhiana.

The company has already done a pre-feasibility study for a Greenfield international airport in Ludhiana. This will be an airfield cum real estate project

There has been a long pending demand from the industry in Ludhiana for an airport in the industrial town of Punjab. Since small aircraft are not viable, the proposals for an airport at Ludhiana could not get through. The BAPL would set up an airport city on the lines of Frankfurt Airport and Singapore's Changi Airport, sources informed.

The state of Punjab has an international airport in Amritsar and is run by the Airports Authority of India. It operates 12 flights in day serving 7,50,000 domestic and 3,50,000 international travelers. The Amritsar airport will add connectivity to Kuala Lumpur by Malindo Airline. The international flights to Uzbekistan, Tashkent, Doha, Dubai and domestic flights to Delhi Mumbai operate from here.

The sources at the Amritsar Airport informed that the visitors to the holy shrine of Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) and Non-Resident Indians from the various parts of the world constitutes the major chunk of passenger footfall at Amritsar. The Amritsar airport has also been approved for providing e-visas by the Government of India and this may increase the passenger footfall at Amritsar. The airport is under regular up gradation, he added.

The international terminal at Chandigarh airport is being developed at Jheorheri village, near Mohali. An area of 300 acres was acquired by the Government of Punjab at a cost of Rs 460 crore for the airport. Later, the neighbouring state of Haryana also pitched in and contributed half of the land cost. A Special Purpose vehicle was formed in which Punjab and Haryana have 24.5% equity each and 51% stake is held by the Airport Authority of India. The total cost of airport up gradation is 1000 cr (including land).

The industry in Ludhiana may have to wait for a better air connectivity, the travelers from Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Uttarakhand would be benefitted with the up gradation of Mohali/Chandigarh airport.

The Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi is expected to inaugurate the new terminal of the Chandigarh airport on 11 September.