CHANDIGARH, Oct. 6 — Cabinet Minister Anil Vij has urged the Union Civil Aviation Minister to consider shifting flight operations from Chandigarh’s Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport to Ambala Cantonment, citing passenger convenience during a scheduled airport closure.
Officials said Chandigarh airport will remain closed to fixed-wing aircraft from 1 a.m. on October 26 to 11:59 p.m. on November 7 for polymer modified emulsion repair work on the runway.
Speaking to The Tribune, Vij said, “The Chandigarh airport is to be closed for a few days due to repair works, and it will cause inconvenience to the passengers as there is no other airport from Delhi to Amritsar which can be used in this situation. The domestic airport in Ambala is ready and all the equipment have been installed. I have sent a letter to the Civil Aviation Minister to examine the airport in Ambala and explore the possibility of shifting the flights to Ambala. If the flights can be shifted, it will come as a big respite because the passengers can travel to Chandigarh from Ambala very easily.”
He added, “The aviation department officials should visit the airport and if any changes are required then it should be made. Though the domestic airport is not that big, it can handle the traffic and at least the domestic flights can be operated from here till the airport in Chandigarh resumes operations.”
In August, Vij had said Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had given his consent for the inauguration of Ambala Cantonment Airport, although the date is yet to be finalised. The initial flight routes proposed include Ambala-Ayodhya, Ambala-Lucknow, Ambala-Jammu, and Ambala-Srinagar.
Highlighting the Defence Minister’s role in facilitating the project, Vij said, “Defence Minister Rajnath Singh played an important role in the construction of the airport as the land required belonged to the Army. He helped in providing that land. Therefore, I had requested him to inaugurate the airport and he agreed.”
Vij noted that delays in finalising the inauguration date were caused by unfavourable weather conditions and rains, but he intends to follow up soon to expedite the process.
“An assistant manager (Operations) has already been appointed and the remaining staff will be transferred to Ambala before starting the operations,” he said.
