M A I N   N E W S

Punjab investment— reality check-III
Air connectivity crucial to boosting business in state
Perneet Singh
Tribune News Service

The state’s lone international airport is reeling under annual losses of more than Rs 50 crore and the one being built in Mohali will take some time to develop. Besides, only one flight operates from the Ludhiana airport and Bathinda’s domestic airport has failed to start even after a year of its completion.

Amritsar international airport only face saver

At present, six airlines are operating from Sri Guru Ram Das Ji International Airport in Amritsar - Air India, Jet Airways, Spice Jet, Qatar Airways, Uzbekistan Airways and Turkmenistan Airways. There are at least eight flights from Amritsar to Delhi on a daily basis. It also has twice-a-week flight to Mumbai, besides a flight to Jammu and Srinagar. Though the airport doesn't have direct flights to many destinations within the country, good connectivity with Delhi facilitates further connection with the rest of the world.

However, the airport lacks direct link to key destinations such as Toronto, Singapore Bangkok and European countries. It offers Amritsar-Delhi-London flight thrice a week, Amritsar-Delhi-Birmingham four days a week and a daily flight to Dubai and Doha. Amritsar also has direct connectivity with destinations such as Tashkent and Ashgabat.

Flights that were grounded

The airport that boasts of an impressive infrastructure has witnessed withdrawal of various international flights in the past.

Air India had discontinued its Amritsar-Birmingham-Toronto flight, which was termed by many as the most successful flight in the annals of the national carrier’s history. The flight, which used to register over 90 per cent occupancy, was withdrawn on October 31, 2010.

The British Midland International (BMI) had pulled out its Amritsar-Almaty-London flight in October 2012.

The Amritsar-Toronto flight that was suspended by Air India due to pilots’ strike is yet to resume.

Singapore Airlines had launched thrice-a-week Amritsar-Singapore flight on October 1, 2004. The service worked well for around five years before being discontinued in early 2009. Jet Airways launched its Amritsar-London flight only to withdraw it after some time.

These airlines reportedly withdrew saying that their operations from Amritsar were financially unviable. NRI Harjap Singh Aujla, who has been campaigning for a greater role for the Amritsar airport, said since it was a natural destination for Punjabis settled in Birmingham, Toronto and Vancouver, Air India must strengthen its connectivity from the city.

Decisions that brought smiles

The Amritsar airport has witnessed several improvements such as introduction of the electronic data interchange (EDI) system that facilitates duty drawbacks and reduction in VAT on air turbine fuel from 22 per cent to 5 per cent.

Mohali airport to be ready by Feb 2015

The Mohali airport is being readied for international flights and is likely to be completed by February 2015, though it may get its first international flight in March 2014. Construction is still underway for the apron, taxiway, parking area and the approach road to the airport. Though the new international terminal will have four aerobridges, large apron area, night-landing facility and other important facilities, but the wait to get international air connectivity could take longer if certain issues are not resolved. One of these would be operational control over the airfield - the runway and the Air Traffic Control are under the control of the Indian Air Force.

To start any international flight, permission from the Defence Ministry is essential. The runway, which needs to be extended, will have to be provided compatible ground lighting system for the already-installed Instrument Landing System to operate at CAT-II level.

The lows of Ludhiana airport

The Ludhiana airport located at Sahnewal has a lone domestic flight - Air India’s thrice-a-week Ludhiana-Delhi flight, which, too, doesn’t have many takers. The airport, which was apparently launched in a haste, is grappling with inadequate infrastructure to attract more air carriers. Though the state government has been mulling to expand it, nothing fruitful has been done so far. Lack of equipment to ensure smooth landing in winters in the initial days did no good to the airport, as a few people opted for the Ludhiana-Delhi flight due to frequent cancellations. The Doppler Very High Frequency Omni-Directional Range (DVOR) device started functioning at the airport in October 2013 only.

Firms skeptical about Bathinda airport’s viability

Bathinda domestic airport has failed to take off as the aviation companies are skeptical about its potential and viability in terms of revenue generation, though the state government is blaming the Centre for the delay in making the airport functional. The work on the airport was completed a year ago. Except Spice Jet, no other company has evinced interest in it.

Expertspeak

CII National Council on Public Policy member Gunbir Singh, who is also a member of the Amritsar Airport Advisory Committee, said: “Punjab’s air connectivity is an essential logistic precursor to any investment in the state. As a landlocked state, convenient flights to national and international destinations are of paramount importance.

He said Amritsar - a major destination for tourists and pilgrims - was underserved. “Apart from Ashgabad, Tashkent and Doha, there is hardly any direct routing, and thus the potential lies untapped. Amritsar is a must-visit pilgrimage for the Indian Diaspora spanning all communities. All major hospitality brands are already in place with five and four-star resorts, which are crying for better global connectivity,” he added. 

Crying for attention

* Punjab’s lone international airport in Amritsar (pic) is reeling under annual losses of more than Rs 50 crore and the one being built in Mohali will be completed by February 2015

* Only one flight operates from the Ludhiana airport, which lacks adequate infrastructure to attract more air carriers

* Bathinda’s domestic airport has failed to start even after a year of its completion.