Airlines plan international flights from new airport around Xmas

Deepankar Sharda

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 22

After the inauguration of the new civil air terminal in Mohali by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, many airlines are planning to start international flights near Christmas.

As the terminal was inaugurated without holding trials for flight operations, the authorities had decided to start flights on October 19. However, despite many hiccups, airlines are planning to start international flights near Christmas. Moreover, the international airport will soon be equipped with the instrument landing system (CAT-III ILS) for smooth functioning in dense fog.

The companies are also mulling over direct flights to the cities like Goa, Pondicherry and Kolkata. “We are again considering the starting of a direct flight to Dubai from Chandigarh. We are conducting a survey to estimate the approximate footfall and getting good response. However, the final decision will be taken during a meeting of the board of directors. We are planning to start the flight near Christmas,” said a SpiceJet employee.

Meanwhile, the low cost airlines Air Asia, indigo and Jetkonnect are also planning to expand their domestic operations. “We are looking forward to expand our domestic operations. The city will be a new transit point for tourists so we are looking forward to expand our domestic operations,” said sources in one of the airlines.