The long-standing demand of industries in Ludhiana has been met with the commencement of Air India flight on the Delhi- Ludhiana-Delhi route, scheduled for tomorrow. The move is expected to give a fillip to the industrial, trade and commercial activities in the region. At present, there is no air connectivity from Ludhiana, a hub of textile, hosiery, hand tools, sewing machines and bicycle industry contributing significantly to exports from the state.
In absence of air connectivity the overseas buyers have to rely either on Delhi airport or Chandigarh airport. They prefer either rail route from Delhi or take the road from Chandigarh airport, which normally takes two hours.
A Punjab government spokesperson said Alliance Air, a subsidiary of Air India will land on its maiden flight at the Sahnewal domestic airport in Ludhiana on May 13. The spokesperson said Alliance Air would initially operate an ATR-42 aircraft with seating capacity of 40 on the route, which would be replaced by a bigger aircraft as passenger traffic picks up. The airline will operate daily. The incoming flights in the industrial city would take off from Delhi at 11.10 am and touch down at Sahnewal airport, Ludhiana in an hour and fifteen minutes at 12.25 noon. The Delhi-bound flight would depart at 12.45 afternoon on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays and 14.35 pm on Mondays, Wednesday and Friday.
Likewise, another flight Ludhiana-Pathankot-Ludhiana would also be made operational on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The Ludhiana (Sahnewal) airfield had been provided with night landing facility and advanced avionics would ensure smooth traffic throughout the year.
Engineering Export Promotion Council Regional Chairman S C Ralhan said, “The air connectivity is definitely going to give fillip to trade and industry situated not only in Ludhiana but also in Phagwara, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur and nearby areas. It would also help the NRI community.”
Punjab Chamber of Small Exporters Vice President Ashwani Kohli said, “The new aviation destination is expected to give fillip to industry, trade and commercial activities in the region. The SME sector is expected to witness hectic traffic in the months to come. With the Ludhiana domestic terminal becoming operational, the international travel potential of this region with connecting flights from Indira Gandhi International airport would also see a boost.” However, he added that arrival time to Ludhiana should be in the morning so that exporters and buyers can reach their respective destinations during the working hours well in time.
At present, Punjab has an international airport in Amritsar, domestic terminals at Pathankot and Ludhiana. The spokesman also said the state government was in the process of handing over 7 acres to the Airports Authority of India for upgradation of Ludhiana airfield. An award of nearly Rs 4.45 crore has been declared for acquisition of this land.