Air India cancels booking of two important flights from Amritsar

Amritsar October 25, 2021 
The FlyAmritsar Initiative has inquired Air India to run on its immediate breakouts from Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport Amritsar to Nanded and Rome in Italy from October 31 ahead. In a check issued to the press, the Global Convener of FlyAmritsar Initiative Sameep Singh Gumtala pictured the attention of Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee President Bibi Jagir Kaur and prompted them to approach Prime Minister of India Sh. Narendra Modi and Minister of Civil Aviation, Sh. Jyotiraditya Scindia on this issue.

 Gumtala spoke that in a considerable reversal to the foreign and domestic connectivity of Airport, the public carrier Air India, just before being privatized has suspended bookings for its veritably popular Nanded – Amritsar direct flight which connected the two important Sikh Temporal seats Sri Akal Takht Sahib and Takht Sri Hazur Abchal Nagar Sahib – Nanded. Not only this, formerly-daily Delhi-Amritsar-Rome flight booking isn’t available and removed from the schedule released on the Air India website during the downtime schedule that starts from October 29th and runs till March 26th, 2022. 

Gumtala informed that the attainability of these breakouts for bookings in the downtime schedule indicates that Air India has either suspended these routes or pulled the draw altogether. The airline is presently operating the Nanded flight on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday with the aircraft taking off from Delhi in the early morning hours for Amritsar and also departs for Nanded at 650 am. Nanded is also an important passage destination for the Sikh community. With the direct breakouts, they’re suitable to complete this trip in just two-and-half hours but now suspense of this flight will beget grave vexation to the addicts, said Gumtala.

 Gumtala added, “ the direct flight between Amritsar – Nanded has been in operation for further than three times and fulfilled the long-standing demand of pilgrims, non-resident Indians, and excursionists from Europe, USA, UK, Canada, Gulf countries and the business community from Punjab and indeed bordering countries including Rajasthan, Jammu, Himachal Pradesh, and Haryana. The airline proceeded with the flight on August 3 before this time after the temporary hiatus owing to the nimbus epidemic. Indeed during the epidemic time, this flight is veritably popular among addicts. With the forthcoming downtime season, when thousands of Punjabi NRIs spend downtime time in Punjab, the cancellation of this route is veritably disappointing for them.

 Gumtala added that the field is also losing direct transnational connectivity with Rome in Italy. The public carrier had before opened bookings on its website for the direct Amritsar-Rome breakouts till the end of March 2022 but now it isn’t available presently on the website or schedule released by Air India and this route seems to have been suspended as well. Yogesh Kamra, Secretary Amritsar Vikas Manch (NGO), Convener (India) for FlyAmritsar Initiative, and a member of the Field premonitory commission said that he’s surprised by this move of Air India as the breakouts to Nanded and Rome were running with a good flight cargo of over 70 average residencies.

 Kamra added that Air India on Oct 23 twittered “ Flynn-stop from Amritsar to Nanded. For detailed schedule and to bespeak tickets log in toairindia.in”. After this tweet, numerous others including me asked the airline that reserving from October 31 onwards isn’t available on its website but Air India has not responded to it, said Kamra. It’s a matter of surprise that the public carrier has discontinued the Rome flight, despite being apprehensive that every week multiple private exemptions are operating breakouts to Rome and Milan since September 2020 by Spicejet, Indigo, and now Italian carrier Neos Air is also operating on these routes. I’ve brought this matter to the notice of Member of Parliament Amritsar Gurjeet Singh Aujla. We also appeal to the Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia as well as Air India CMD to review this decision.