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Amritsar airport a 'boon' for passengers
Published on Fri, Mar 28, 2008 at 09:47, Updated on Fri, Mar 28, 2008 at 14:41 in Nation section
Tags: State Of The Indian Airport, Poll , Amritsar
FLYING COLOURS: The Amritsar airport now handles more than half a million visitors annually.
Amritsar (Punjab): The Raja Sansi International Airport in Amritsar has seen unprecedented growth touching 54 per cent two years back.
It is also the only airport in the country where international passengers outnumber domestic ones in the ratio five to one.
The road to Raja Sansi International Airport maybe chaotic, yet the ride is bearable for the widely dispersed Punjabi diaspora---pilgrims to the Golden Temple from India and abroad, as well as those wanting to travel abroad for work.
“This is the only airport that has more international passengers than national,” says Director, Amritsar Airport, Arun Talwar.
From just a few thousand passengers a decade back, the Amritsar airport now handles more than half a million visitors annually.
The runway was extended this year to allow jumbo jets and Airbus 380s to land.
The terminal building, completed in 2006, is already falling short hence massive infrastructure development works have been planned.
For frequent flyers in Punjab, the airport is a boon because earlier, the closest airport was in far off Delhi.
"The international airport has come closer to us so a flight to Sharjah is very convenient,” says a passenger, Harpal Singh.
But all is not hunky dory. Traffic jams on the busy and narrow road to the airport are common.
Besides there are no telephone booths in the terminal building, water runs out in taps and there is no air conditioning yet.
However the airport on the extreme west of Punjab has made life easier for the millions who make their way to work in the Gulf, Europe and the Americas as well as for Sikhs from around the world wanting to visit their holiest shrine.
From 22,000 passengers a decade back to more than half a million passengers now, the Amritsar International airport is a miracle for the locals who have seen it grow.
However, for passengers who have seen the world, the Amritsar International Airport still has a long way to go.
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Well, happy to see the airport progressing but still lot needs to be done. Govt. really needs to pull up..
P.S.
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Amritsar International Airport is very important gateway to Punjab and Union Goverment is fully aware of that even Amritsar airport
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In the last six months I have been travelling a lot by air in India. I agree that many of
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