To reach out to the diaspora, Punjab makes a determined push for more foreign flights out of Mohali

Government of Punjab is making determined efforts to put Shaheed Bhagat Singh (SBS) International Airport on the global aviation map , which will connect it to various international destinations. At present only two international cities it is connected to i.e. Dubai and Sarjah.

Punjab Government making all out efforts to increase frequency of International flights

Rahul Bhandari , principal secretary for civil aviation, stated more international flights are needed , which can cater to Punjabi diaspora settled in Canada, Australia and the UK. Regarding this Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, had raised the issue with the Centre and also requested for more domestic flights under the UDAN scheme.

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Requests Centre to start more international flights

To help the Punjabi diaspora around the world, Mann has previously requested the Centre to begin more foreign flights from Shaheed Bhagat Singh airport. Additionally, the CM had persuaded Alex Ellis, the British high commissioner, to launch a daily direct service between Chandigarh and London Heathrow. Mann received guarantees of all-inclusive assistance in this respect from the British high commissioner.

The chief minister brought up the possibility of a direct flight from Chandigarh to London, claiming that it would benefit travellers from five states in general and Punjab in particular. He claimed that this flight will serve as a gateway for Punjabis to the west.

Mann claimed that in order to provide air connectivity from the state to Canada, America, Australia, and other areas of the world, the Punjabi diaspora from throughout the world has been demanding for such flights.

London or Paris

Rakesh Ranjan Sahay, the CEO of SBS International Airport, stated that all requirements had been fulfilled and two flight operators had expressed interest. The establishment of the air corridor link to Europe from SBS international airport is pending approval from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), he said. Sahay, however, stated that the decision as to whether the flight would arrive in London or Birmingham has not yet been made.

There are only two international cities that Chandigarh is currently connected to: Dubai and Sharjah. Sahay, on the other hand, stated that initially the company will begin flight operations on an interim basis, say perhaps three or four times per week with 200-seat aircraft. The frequency of the flight and the aircraft's capacity would increase as time goes on and demand rises, he said.

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