Start direct flights to Canada, USA, Punjab minister urges Aviation Minister Scindia

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, March 1

In the wake of no direct flight connectivity from Punjab to Canada and the USA, Punjab NRI Affairs Minister Kuldeep Dhaliwal, on Wednesday, met Union Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia.

Dhaliwal handed over a memorandum to the Union minister and demanded to include both Amritsar and Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport, Mohali, for direct flight connectivity to Canada, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Seattle and San Francisco (USA).

He said that the commencement of these direct flights would ensure huge benefits to a large number of travellers from both sides.

Kuldeep Dhaliwal said the Punjab government, in December last year, had organised five ‘NRI Punjabian naal milni’ programmes in the state. “During these programmes, there was one major concern expressed by the NRIs which was poor direct connectivity to Punjab from different cities of Canada and the USA. They have to either take a connecting flight or take a taxi to reach Punjab since all the flights from USA and Canada are till New Delhi,” said Dhaliwal while interacting with media after meeting the Union Minister.

Dhaliwal apprised Scindia that a large number of Punjabis and Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) cardholders had been living in Canada and USA for long. He requested the Union Minister to include the airports of Amritsar and Mohali for direct flight connectivity to redress this long pending demand of the Punjabi diaspora living in these countries.

Dhaliwal informed Scindia of the recent bilateral air services agreement between India and Canada that had excluded Amritsar and Mohali from the list of cities for direct flight operations.Dhaliwal requested the Union Minister to revisit the agreement and include Punjab for direct flight connectivity. He said direct air connectivity would be of great benefit to Punjabis, besides addressing the long pending issue of the people from the region.

Dhaliwal revealed that Scindia assured to consider this demand on priority and to do sincere efforts for solving this issue.

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