Jalandhar, December 26(Parteek Singh): The NRI belt of Punjab, Doaba region has to wait for 2018 for the first flight to take off from Adampur airport, as the year 2017 finishes without the start of much awaited maiden domestic flight from Adampur airport. Despite repeated claims and promises domestic flights fails to take off this year. Adjacent to the Adampur Airforce station a domestic terminal has already been built.
With the starting of this flight people from region will reach Delhi in merely 45 minutes. In past four months even the dates for maiden flight were announced and changed thrice and now after missing the last date there is no word from authorities about a fresh date. The first date announced for maiden flight was September 26 which was later postponed to Diwali festival in October and then to December 1. Vijay Sampla, Union Minister of State has earlier said that the ticket booking will start from November 1 but it did not start even it has missed December 1 deadline as well. There is no word from the authorities and minister for the new dates yet.
According to the sources, no air company is interested to operate from Adampur airport following the directions from AAI(Airport Authority of India) that the air service provider companies to operate from Terminal -2 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport Delhi for Adampur while the companies are interested from operating from terminal-1 of IGI. Source reveals that talks are going on between the AAI and air companies over the issue.
The Adampur airport will transform the economy of the area claims government, as NRIs will stay connected with their roots, and this airport would also boost medical tourism and industrial development in the Doaba region.