Sanjay Singh / New Delhi
India’ Ministry of Civil Aviation has approved Srinagar Airport as an International Airport, following which it will launch a first commercial flight between Srinagar and Sharjah in the UAE very soon.
“This is a historic step both for J&K and its people. Foreign travellers will soon be able to arrive directly in Srinagar,” Union Minister for Civil Aviation, Jyotiraditya Scindia said at a joint press conference with J&K lieutenant governor, Manoj Sinha. Both Scindia and Sinha held a detailed review of all aviation issues related to Jammu & Kashmir.
An official said Sharjah was chosen as the first destination given the heavy traffic and the volume of business between traders from J&K, particularly those dealing in horticulture produce, retail outlets in Sharjah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. J&K already has an immigration infrastructure, which will further smoothen the process.
“More than 77 stores in Sharjah which are mostly owned by Lulu hypermarket chain have large supplies of dry fruits which mostly are exported from J&K. Additionally, over 60 such stores in Abu Dhabi get supplies from J&K. “So the demand is high and so it becomes important for business-related travel between Srinagar and Sharjah. This will also be a convenient transit point to reach Abu Dhabi and Dubai,” said an official.
Srinagar has earlier handled international flights for Haj pilgrims. With the decision taken to start international flights from Srinagar, the J&K government and the State Governor, Manoj Sinha have also assured to hand over 122 acre land in Jammu by October 10 next year to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to start work on a new 25,000 sq metre terminal at a cost of Rs 600 crore.
The cargo terminal at Srinagar airport will start operating from October 1. The Srinagar airport will also have a paid premium lounge which has been approved and the bidding process is expected to begin by September 30.
At the same time, Srinagar airport too is being expanded from 22,000 sq metre to 63,000 sq metre with an investment of Rs 1500 crore, according to Scindia.