Dogwerx International Capital Corporation recently approached the Chandigarh International Airport and has put forward a proposal about starting charter flights to Canada from Chandigarh. Moreover, the concerned officials have given their nod for the proposal and as soon as the plan takes off it’s going to be a great relief for the Indian Diaspora in Canada. It will surely make their journey from Canada to Chandigarh a pleasant affair.
It’s already been six years since the inauguration of the Chandigarh International Airport by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015 and still there are no flights to Canada from here. There are only two International flights from the airport to Sharjah and Dubai. The Canadian firm has brought the proposal to start direct charter flights from Chandigarh to Toronto and Vancouver. Earlier, Flypop Airlines had mooted about starting direct flights to London from Chandigarh International Airport.
Rakesh Ranjan Sahay, the Chief executive Officer (CEO) of Chandigarh International Airport has said, “The Canada based company has approached us for starting charter flights for the two cities of Canada. We have given them a go-ahead and are now waiting for the final nod. Once the plan takes off, it will come as a huge relief to the Punjabi Diaspora in Canada.” He further said that at the initial stage this is going to be a seasonal flight for the period of first three months on a 200 seater plane. After seeing the response from the public, the frequency as well as the capacity of the flight will be increased accordingly.
Mr. Sahay also talked about flights to London and mentioned about authorities convening a meeting with the British High Commission and discussing the possibility of flights to Birmingham and Heathrow. Though, there are flights to India from these destinations, yet there are no flight operations to Chandigarh international Airport from here. Kiron Kher, Member of Parliament, from Chandigarh has been fully supporting the proposal to commence International flights to the United Kingdom and Canada from Chandigarh.
Six years have passed since the Prime Minister of India; Mr. Narendra Modi inaugurated the International airport in Chandigarh. The airport carries just two international flight operations which have been stalled multiple times during the pandemic. There is one flight to Dubai and another to Sharjah. Flights to Dubai are operated seven times in a week while operations to Sharjah are limited to just twice in a week. It’s interesting to know that Canada to India is one of the most sought after international flights and most of the travelers are Punjabi expatriates in Canada.
Sanjeev Vashisht, a member of Chandigarh International Airport Advisory Committee, has said, “We have been trying for more international flights, even though a case is pending in the Punjab and Haryana high court regarding this. The international airport was built for the promotion of trade, which is possible only through connectivity to multiple parts of the world, along with a wide domestic network,” he said.
In the month of November 2021, air cargo facilities were launched from the Chandigarh International Airport which too are kept in a limbo as an approval from the Airport Authority of India is awaited.