Amritsar waits to be connected to Jammu by air

Touched by more than 48 flights (national and international) a week, Amritsar has huge potential in tourism. But the potential can be enhanced if private carriers extend the Chandigarh-Jammu ATR flight to Amritsar and also route the Delhi-Jammu-Delhi flight via Amritsar.

This will help not only domestic and international tourists, but also businessmen. In the absence of air connectivity to Jammu, more than 1,000 tourists visit Jammu from here by road.

Apart from tourism, experts say the city has huge business relations with Srinagar, but in absence of any flights, tourists and businessman have to go by road to Jammu and then fly to Srinagar.

It is beyond doubt that the connectivity would provide access to Punjab and J&K through the Amritsar gateway. Also, it would connect one of the most popular Tourism circuits herein fore untouched by air (the Golden Temple and Vaishno Devi shrine.)

Talking to Business Standard, CEO, Divine Destination, Gunbir Singh, expressed, "There is immense potential in connecting the three states of Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir and Delhi, as it would link the Pilgrim tourism circuit.

Also, as Amritsar has international airport, so it would prove as international gateway to Jammu & Kashmir, so instead of traveling by road, which is tiresome journey, foreign tourist landing at Amritsar, can access to Jammu easily.

The pilgrim tourist circuits shall also greatly benefit from these developments alongwith the prospects of improved business between Kashmir and Punjab."

One of the official of Airport Authority of India said," Earlier about 8 years ago there was a flight to Jammu from amritsar but due to poor response it has been stopped. But, now the scenerio has been changed,as large number of tourists and businessman visiting these two states, so atleast low cost airlines can extend their services."

Also, there is urgent need to provide better airline access to NRI and domestic tourists landing now in large numbers at Amritsar. Since the development is contributing considerably to decongestion of the capital airport, he added.

Singh also urged the union government to support their effort by, on the one hand improving quickly the facilities at the Amritsar International Airport and getting domestic aviation players to provide better intra country connectivity.

It of course follows that such moves shall assist the international airlines including Air India, who will get better feed from local players.