Ludhiana is Punjab’s industrial hub that witnesses large numbers of passengers thronging to the city from far off places. In order to ease the travelling of passengers to and from Ludhiana, Punjab government along with Airport Authority of India have decided to resume the Ludhiana- Delhi flights from July this year.
The flight between Ludhiana and Delhi will get restarted from Sahnewal airport, 12km from Ludhiana under the government initiative- UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Naagrik) and Air Deccan will be the carrier. The flight for Delhi from Ludhiana was discontinued three years back due to less number of passengers on board but now the Punjab Government has decided to make it operational again so that the local market and industry gets a boost, which is still untapped at the global front.
More flights for Delhi other than Ludhiana
Apart from Ludhiana, Punjab Government has given a nod to Pathankot-Delhi flights and the Adampur-Delhi flight (Spicejet), that will commence from July and August, respectively. Pathankot, Ludhiana, Bathinda and Adampur airports are connected under the UDAN scheme.
Under the UDAN scheme, 1 lakh seats will be made available to the passengers out of which 50 percent will fall into the slab of concessional fare. This initiative by the Punjab Government will help the local traders to commercially explore avenues and create job opportunities for the youths across the state. The authorities are planning to start more flights from Ludhiana to other parts of India.
Time & Fare of the Ludhiana- Delhi flight
Air Deccan will fly a Polish-origin STOL (short take-off and landing) 18-seat M28 turboprop aircraft from Ludhiana to New Delhi daily at the evening hours.
Take off from New Delhi at 5.20 PM.
Land at Ludhiana airport = 6.40 PM
Layover time at Ludhiana = 15 minutes.
Take off from Ludhiana = 6:55 PM.
Land at New Delhi = 8.15 PM.
Though the fare of the Ludhiana – Delhi flight has not been disclosed officially it is speculated to be between Rs 1500 to 2500. The fare might exceed 2500 on certain occasions and demand of tickets.
Ludhiana Airport needs a facelift
Spread across 127.5 acres, the Sahnewal, in Ludhiana airport has a 4,800-foot runway and has a small- less maintained departure hall that can hardly accommodate 50 passengers on the go. Also, the main entry to the airport is just 15 meter away from the railway level crossing that closes in almost every 15 minutes of the day. This railway crossing is the most awkward hindrance for the passengers going to and coming from Sahnewal Airport, Ludhiana and can’t be closed down permanently as this is the only railway line that connects Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Pathankot and Jammu to other parts of the country.
A team of officials from Air Deccan are likely to inspect the Sahnewal Airport in Ludhiana by the end of this month to finalise the plan and the arrangements of the operations.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com
Also see
Was Owning A Private Jet Diljit Dosanjh’s Publicity Stunt? – Check Out Here
Comments
