Flights between Bathinda and Delhi become a reality with Air India ready to operate three flights every week on Monday, Thursday and Saturday.
The announcement that the first flight will take off from Bathinda airport on December 11 was made by Deputy CM Sukbhir Badal in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 25.
Speaking to The Tribune, Chandigarh Airport manager of Air India, RK Negi said, ‘the 70-seater ATR-72 aircraft of the Air India will fly between New Delhi –Bathinda-New Delhi starting from 11th Dec, 2016.”
Even after its completion four years ago, the airport was yet to deliver any domestic flights. The airport's infrastructure was gathering dust due to the delay in its operations.
Bathinda Airport Source: Supplied
Not a single flight has operated from Bathinda ever since its inauguration in Aug 2012.
Like Adampur, the much- hyped project had reluctance from aviation companies to start domestic flights from here.
Besides aviation companies, Union aviation ministry’s earlier surveys have found that the airport could potentially be 'financially unviable'.
Bathinda airport’s domestic air terminal is built near Virk Kalan village, 20 km northwest of Bhatinda, Punjab, India.
The Airports Authority of India constructed this civil enclave at a cost of Rs 25 crore on 42 acres of land.
Despite having a 2,800 metre runway, the airport is only capable of accommodating two fifty-seater aircraft. The terminal has a VIP lounge and two check-in counters. The closest airports to Bathinda are Amritsar (100 km) and Chandigarh (203 km).
The airport is named as Civil Airport, Bathinda. However, demands have been made to name it on ‘Shaheed Bhagat Singh’ or ‘Virk Kalan’ village.
Fact of the day:
India’s domestic airports like Bathinda hold key in expanding the regional connectivity despite some airports still struggling to be 'financially viable'.
‘India’s domestic aviation market grew by 27.4% earlier this year making it the fastest-growing aviation market in the world’ International Air Transport Association (IATA).
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