Sidhu asks Centre, Punjab to save Amritsar airport

NEW DELHI: Former cricketer and BJP MP Navjot Singh Sidhu on Tuesday asked the Centre and the Punjab government to take urgent steps to save Raja Sansi Airport at Amritsar from closure in the wake some airlines withdrawing flights from the airport.
    
Sidhu, who met Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel here, said factors like "high" landing charges, delay in completion of work and lack of facilities for cargo activities, among other things, were deterring airlines from operating from the holy city.
    
An official spokesperson said two foreign carriers had informed the government about withdrawal of flights from Amritsar due to "purely commercial considerations and the upheaval in the aviation sector and not due to any decision of the government or the Airports Authority of India."
    
He pointed out that the decision by some airlines to discontinue international flights from Amritsar "has come as a bolt, which in turn would demoralise the investors, thereby affecting the livelihood of thousands" and wanted the government to take corrective measures.
     
The spokesperson said Air India and other Indian carriers were continuing their operations from the airport,
    
Claiming that landing charges at the airport were "much higher" than those in Delhi, Sidhu demanded that the charges be slashed by 50 per cent.
    
The Ministry, however, maintained that since 2003, the newly declared international airports like Amritsar were charging the same rates as those of other domestic airports.