CHANDIGARH: Airports in Punjab are low on the priority list for any up gradation or expansion in the near future.

The state’s major and only international airport at Raja Sansi in Amritsar has the lowest air traffic among international airports in the country.

Indian Airlines operates Delhi Amritsar-Jammu-Srinagar Jammu Amritsar-Delhi Might which touches Raja Sansi every day while Ariana, the national air carrier of Afghanistan, operates two flights a week between Kabul and Amritsar.

Until a few years ago, Air-India used to operate Bombay-Delhi Amritsar-Moscow-Birmingham flight. The flight was later discontinued for various reasons.

The National Front government announced in Parliament in November 1990, that Raja Sansi airport would be again linked to some major airports in the west and Republic Day, 1991, was fixed as the deadline for reviving international air flights. A number of meetings were held at the highest level, It was decided that Air-India would operate special flights between Raja Sansi and Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi for the convenience of international passengers.

The passengers were to be provided baggage check-in and security check-in facilities at Raja Sansi airport so that on reaching IGI, New Delhi, they could enplane various flights without going through the girls of baggage and security check-in again, All modalities were discussed and finalized. The plan was, however, dropped in the beginning of last year, Since then, the proposal has remained buried.

At present, Ariana brings some passengers from Kabul. These passengers are mostly Hindus and Sikhs of Indian origin who had been living in Afghanistan for generations, Otherwise, the Afghan airline has been carrying only cargo on the Kabul-Amritsar Kabul flight. A senior functionary at the airport told reporters that there is even a sharp drop in cargo from Amritsar because of opening of borders by Pakistan with Afghanistan, Ariana, however, proposes to increase the frequency of flights for the convenience of passengers who want to come to India.

Another proposal in the preliminary stage of linking Amritsar with London via Sharjah. Only a couple of weeks ago, instrument landing facilities were provided at Raja Sansi airport at a cost of a few crores of rupees, There are more than 200 employees of the National Airport Authority at Raja Sansi where the air traffic control, air strip and terminal building everything is under civil control.

It is said that the National Airport Authority had proposed that the Air Force should take over Raja Sansi airport. But the Defence Ministry did not accept the proposal. This, however, could not be verified.

Like Amritsar, Ludhiana airport is the only other place where there is regular air service. The 4,800 ft long strip at Sahnewal is still without an adequate terminal building. ‘There is no arrival lounge.

The third level airline, Vayudoot, operates a daily flight between New Delhi and Ludhiana in the evenings while Trans Bharat Airways, a private air carrier, has introduced thrice-a-week flight between Delhi and Ludhiana by using a 12-seater Beechcraft King air aircraft.

In 1990, there was a proposal to extend the strip at Sahnewal by another 2,200 feet to make it fit for landing of Boeing-737 aircraft. Senior functionaries of Indian Airlines as well as the Director General of Civil Aviation and National Airports . Authority of India visited Ludhiana, It was decided to construct a terminal building and extend the runway. The entire planning was finalized.

The proposal was later dropped. At present, Indian Airlines, which is running in huge losses ever since the grounding of Airbus, has not revived the proposal.

Sahnewal airport strip is also facing more than one problems on account of haphazard growth of industries and urbanization in the vicinity of the airport. Though Rule 9(a) of the Aircraft Act, 1934, provides for obtaining of no objection certificate from the Director-General of Civil Aviation for any construction within a radius of 20 km of the airstrip, no such thing is being followed. As a result, the terminal building has in its vicinity, new residential colonies coming up. A stage may come when any further expansion may not be possible and because of pollution, passenger air traffic may have to be discontinued.

Article extracted from this publication >> Aug 14, 1992