Amritsar-Nanded flight takes off

Neeraj Bagga

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, December 23

Air India launched the Amritsar-Nanded biweekly flight from Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport here today.

There were 160 passengers on the maiden flight, including Congress MP Gurjit Singh Aujla and former Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti.

The national carrier’s 162-seater AI815 flight, which connects Akal Takht and Takht Hazur Sahib, will operate on Saturday and Sunday.

Before take-off, Golden Temple ardasiya Sultan Singh offered prayers, while Head Granthi Jagtar Singh, SGPC secretary Dr Roop Singh and others felicitated Air India officials with siropas.

Union Minister Vijay Sampla thanked the Narendra Modi government for launching the flight, claiming that the party’s Rajya Sabha MP, Shwait Malik, had taken up the matter with the Centre over the past one-and-a-half years. Aujla and Malik together cut the ceremonial cake along with other Congress and BJP leaders.

When asked whether he should be credited with the launch of the flight, Aujla declined comment. The local MP said he was undertaking the inaugural journey as a common pilgrim.

Sampla said it took about 36 hours to reach Nanded (Maharashtra) from Amritsar by train, while the air journey would last about two-and-a-half hours. He added that the Amritsar-Birmingham flight would be launched in January, while efforts were on to start a flight between Amritsar and Patna.

Meanwhile, Union Food Processing Industry Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal thanked Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha for connecting Amritsar with Nanded through a direct flight.

The flight follows a request made by Harsimrat on behalf of the Sikh Sangat, the minister said in a release.