Adampur airport launch delayed, flights to stay grounded on March 2

Resumption of flights from Adampur airport was one of the key promises made by all the political parties, including the victorious Aam Aadmi Party in Jalandhar lok Sabha by-elections as it caters to the needs of international students and NRIs in the region.

The much awaited relaunch of flight operations from the Adampur Civil Airport, which was to take place on March 2, has been postponed “for a few days.”

The much awaited relaunch of flight operations from the Adampur Civil Airport, which was to take place on March 2, has been postponed “for a few days.” (HT Photo)

Jalandhar MP Sushil Rinku said the launch had been postponed due to technical issues as several other domestic airports were either to be virtually relaunched or inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi on March 2. “The launch has been postponed by a few days. The new date is yet to be announced but we are expecting that flights from Adampur airport will resume in the coming week,” he said.

Jalandhar deputy commissioner Vishesh Sarangal said all the work has been completed and the administration is not to blame for the delay. “Once we get the green signal, flights will resume as multiple airlines have already shown interest in launching flights from Adampur to other parts of the country,” he said.

Adampur airport director Kamaljit Kaur said Spice Jet and Star Air had approached the airport authorities for carrying out flight operations, but as of now only, Star Air had completed all the formalities, surveys and sought all the required approvals. In fact, Star Air, was to launch its maiden flight from Adampur to New Delhi on March 2.

Aviation operations have remained suspended at the airport since the Covid pandemic broke out in 2020. In the meantime, the aviation ministry started renovating the airport terminal, which further delayed resumption of operations. The renovations have cost ₹125 crore, and now the airport will be able to host 300 passengers at its peak hour. Earlier, the airport, which was inaugurated in 2018, would provide flights to Delhi, Mumbai and Jaipur.

Resumption of flights from Adampur airport was one of the key promises made by all the political parties, including the victorious Aam Aadmi Party in Jalandhar lok Sabha by-elections as it caters to the needs of international students and NRIs in the region. The senior leadership of all political outfits had been frequenting the Union aviation ministry so that airport operations could resume before 2024 lok sabha elections.

Recently, Union aviation minister Jyotiraditya M Scindia had said that Adampur has been lined with five other airports, Hindon, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Nanded and Goa under the Union government’s UDAN 5.0 scheme.