SEVA Trust UK (Asian independent) an NGO working in the UK and India on various social causes, has been campaigning since 2017 for better air connectivity for Punjab. Working in coordination with Fly Amritsar Initiative, Amritsar Vikas Manch, various UK based community organisations and MPs in the UK and India, in 2017, SEVA Team played an instrumental role in launching a campaign for London-Amritsar direct flights. SEVA Trust wrote to the Indian PM Narendra Modi Ji, Indian Aviation Ministry, Air India and various Airlines requesting to start direct flights to from London to Punjab.
In 2019, on the occasion of 550th Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak, Indian Govt. launched direct flights from London to Amritsar and these flights are running successfully to date. SEVA Trust has been constantly highlighting the common issues and challenges faced by the international travellers involving long and dangerous road journeys from Punjab to Delhi in order to fly to UK, Europe, USA, Canada, Australia and other countries where NRIs from Punjabi origin reside in very large numbers.
Whilst thanking the Indian PM, the Aviation Ministry, Senior Ministers and the State and Ludhiana District administrations for their great input in starting two daily flights between Halwara (Ludhiana) and Delhi, Charan Kanwal Singh Sekhon MBE, Chairman of SEVA Trust UK said ‘These flights will also help large number of international passengers flying from Delhi Airport who can catch connecting flights. Halwara is a central point of Punjab and well connected with the major routes. We welcome this decision and firmly believe there is a huge demand for direct air connectivity from Punjab with key international destinations. Whilst it is important Guru Ki Nagri Amritsar remains well connected with the major international routes, due to increased demand and addressing the needs to NRIs of Malwa Punjab, Halwara airport infrastructure needs to be improved to have capacity for international flights for future. The international flying demand from Punjab will continue to increase for future’, said Mr Sekhon.
Nipun Aggarwal, Chief Commercial Officer, Air India, said: “We have already started the booking for flights from 15 May. We are pleased to serve the people and communities in Ludhiana and neighbouring towns and cities with the convenience of travelling across continents via Delhi. With this addition to our network, we are making international travel simpler and more seamless for more customers across Punjab. The flight schedule has been designed to offer same-day connectivity via Delhi to destinations across the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe, among others. With this, passengers from Halwara/Ludhiana and surrounding areas can conveniently travel with Air India to Delhi and take seamless, onward connections through the same terminal to destinations such as London, Birmingham, Rome, Milan, and Paris – on a single ticket with baggage through-checked to their final destinations, said Mr Aggarwal.
