New Delhi, March 16: Member of Parliament Satnam Singh Sandhu has called for the “Point of Call” designation for Chandigarh International Airport, citing the significant hardships faced by Punjabi travelers.
During Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha, Sandhu declared that residents of the region currently spend nearly half a day traveling to and waiting at the Delhi airport due to limited international options in Chandigarh.
Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu responded by stating that the government will evaluate the traffic generated by the airport.
However, the Minister also stated that the current framework for Bilateral Air Services Agreements (BASA) prioritizes the growth of Indian airlines.
He asserted that the government intends to protect the interests of domestic carriers rather than allowing foreign airlines to dominate international traffic through regional “Points of Call.”
The Minister maintained that the government’s objective is to prevent foreign carriers from using Indian regional airports merely to feed their own international transit hubs.
“We want our airports in metropolitan cities to grow as international aviation hubs,” Naidu declared.
He noted that Indian carriers are already free to launch international services from Chandigarh to any global destination under existing agreements.
MP Sandhu maintained that the airport’s infrastructure is underutilized, standing at just over half its functional capacity.
He asserted that the current exclusion from the “Point of Call” list is the primary barrier preventing more international flights from landing in the city.
The Union Minister affirmed that while many states are requesting similar status for their airports, the government must balance these demands with the goal of making Indian cities like Delhi, Hyderabad, and Kolkata competitive global hubs. He stated that the administration would continue to look for ways to facilitate Indian carriers to meet the needs of international passengers.
