August 24 saw max air passengers depart from Chandigarh
Gaurav Kanthwal
Tribune News Service
Mohali, August 27
With 3,446 passengers departing from the Chandigarh international airport on August 24, it logged the maximum number of “departing passengers” in the northern region in a single day. The overall figure for the departing passengers in the region, excluding Delhi, was 23,900 on August 24. On an average, 6,500 passengers arrive and depart in 32 flights from the Chandigarh airport daily. There are 32 airports in the region with 28 in operation in the northern region currently.
Chandigarh International Airport Limited CEO Ajay Kumar said, “Overall, it has been seen that the Covid impact on travellers has been less here. The flight operations from here to Maharashtra, Kerala and other Covid-impacted areas are restricted due to which the traffic volume has not had a severe impact here. Also, it has been noticed that tourism has picked up in Himachal Pradesh due to which there has been an increased footfall here.”
Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Dharamsala and Srinagar are the most popular destinations from where passengers travel to and fro.
Sharjah flights in 15 days
The flights from Sharjah are likely to restart in the next 15 days. The air taxi service launched on January 14 from Chandigarh to Hisar and other airports in the region has been halted since August 3 due to low visibility problem in Hisar.
An official said due to the prevailing weather conditions in Hisar, the visual flight rules of 5 km visibility while landing could not be adhered to. “As the weather conditions improve in the coming days, we are hopeful that the air taxi service may resume,” Ajay Kumar said. The four-seater aircraft was cleared to operate from Hisar to Chandigarh, Dehradun and Dharamsala under the Regional Connectivity Scheme.
