Amritsar, February 21: Finally, Air India has reintroduced the direct flight between Amritsar and Birmingham. Air India will run two flights per week.
Union Minister of State Vijay Sampla, along with Amritsar MP Gurjit Singh Aujla and Rajya Sabha MP Shwait Malik, flagged off the flight at Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee (SGRDJ) International Airport here on Tuesday.
Sampla said the revival of the direct flight to Birmingham would benefit the people of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh as their fruits, vegetables and other agriculture products would be in the direct reach of the UK. “The city has great geographical importance and the flight will add to the glory of the depriving Amritsar airport,” Sampla added.
Talking to mediapersons here, Malik said, “The flight will prove to be a boon for the people. During the Congress government in 2010, the flight was stopped just to provide financial benefits to the Delhi airport. It depicted the anti-farmer and anti-Punjabi thought process of the Congress as most of the income of cargo i.e. fruits, vegetables and other agro products was benefiting the farmers of Punjab. The reintroduction of the flight will save five to six hours as well as the cost.”
Pankaj Srivastava, director, Commercial Air India Limited, assured to review the success of the flight and to make it a daily affair. He also promised direct air connectivity to Canada.
Malik demanded new direct flights to Canada, US, Australia and New Zealand to facilitate the Punjabi community living there.
News Source: http://www.tribuneindia.com
