E-Paper
Flight operations resume at Jalandhar’s Adampur airport after four years
Flight operations resumed from Adampur airport after 4 years amidst the model code of conduct for upcoming elections. Star Air now connects Adampur, Hindon, Nanded, Bengaluru.
Flight operations resumed from the Adampur airport on Sunday after a gap of four years. The long-awaited resumption was, however, a low-key affair given the imposition of the model code of conduct in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
According to the schedule, private carrier Star Air, has started flights from Adampur to Hindon airport, which will further complete the circuit and have stoppages at Nanded airport and Bengaluru. The same flight will return from Bengaluru to Adampur via Nanded and New Delhi. The resumption of operations has come as a boon for NRIs tracing their roots back to Doaba.
Speaking on the occasion, Adampur airport director Puspendra Kumar said, “As many as 60 passengers boarded the flight from Adampur to New Delhi on Sunday. It will fly on a daily basis.”
Notably, Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi had virtually inaugurated the Adampur Airport’s new terminal buildings on March 10. The 40-acre airport was among 15 inaugurated by the PM under civil aviation’s Udan 5.0 scheme.
Aviation operations had remained suspended at the airport since the Covid-19 pandemic broke out in 2020. In the meantime, the aviation ministry started renovating the airport terminal, which further delayed resumption of operations. The ₹125-crore revamp will allow the airport to handle 300 passengers during peak hours.
Earlier, the airport, which was inaugurated in 2018, would provide flights to Delhi, Mumbai and Jaipur. Under Udan 5.0, routes to and from Hindon, Kolkata, Goa, Bengaluru and Nanded have been green-lit.
The newly inaugurated terminal building has state-of-the-art passenger amenities and is equipped with various sustainability features like double-insulated roofing system, provision of canopies for energy saving, LED lighting etc. The airport design is influenced and derived from the common elements of heritage structures.
The Adampur Airport terminal building is adorned with artworks inspired by Sikh culture. The design incorporates “jali” craftsmanship, which is inspired by the intricate patterns similar to “jhumka-walis” popular among Punjabi women.
