Anticipating a rush of passengers for the Ludhiana-Delhi flight which is all set to resume operations from Monday, the Sahnewal airport authorities have requested Air India to run the flights six days a week. The Alliance Air flight operated four times a week before the lockdown was clamped on March 24 due to the coronavirus outbreak.
Bookings for the Ludhiana to New Delhi Alliance Air flight (AI-9838) have already started. The flight will operate four days a week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday). The 70-seater turbo propeller ATR aircraft will depart from Ludhiana at 3:25pm and arrive at New Delhi at 4:40pm. The flight is expected to land at Sahnewal airport at 2:45pm.
Sahnewal airport director AN Sharma said, “As Shatabdi train to Delhi has been not resumed yet, we are expecting more passengers and made arrangements accordingly. We have requested Air India to operate the flight six days a week.”
Sharma said that earlier the flight used to stop for 20 minutes after landing at the airport before returning to Delhi, but from Monday, the flight will stop for 40 minutes for sanitisation and social distancing between passengers deboarding the flight.
He added that the passengers have been advised to wear mask, carry a hand sanitiser, and download the Aarogya Setu app in their phones. The app has been made compulsory for passengers for allowing entry to the airport as per the standard operating procedure issued by the Airports Authority of India (AAI). Thermal screening of passengers will also be mandatory before boarding the plane, for which medical teams have been deputed at the airport, said Sharma.
{{/usCountry}}He added that the passengers have been advised to wear mask, carry a hand sanitiser, and download the Aarogya Setu app in their phones. The app has been made compulsory for passengers for allowing entry to the airport as per the standard operating procedure issued by the Airports Authority of India (AAI). Thermal screening of passengers will also be mandatory before boarding the plane, for which medical teams have been deputed at the airport, said Sharma.
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