Latest news with #ShaheedBhagatSinghInternationalAirport
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
2 months after Ayodhya, Hisar gets flight to Chandigarh
Mohali/Hisar: Just two months after the launch of a Hisar-Ayodhya flight, Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini on Monday flagged off a flight from the town's Maharaja Agrasen Airport to Chandigarh, marking a new chapter in regional air connectivity. The return flight of the 48-seater ATR-42 aircraft from Hisar to Chandigarh had 100% occupancy, with Saini and other state ministers as passengers, said an official. Saini announced that air connectivity from Hisar would soon be expanded to Jaipur, Jammu, and Ahmedabad in a phased manner. Earlier, the inaugural flight departed from Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport, Chandigarh, with 27 passengers on board (57% occupancy). The service, operated by Alliance Air, will connect the two cities every Monday and Friday. The flight departs from Chandigarh at 3.20pm and arrives in Hisar by 4.30pm. After a 25-minute halt, it departs from Hisar at 4.55pm and reaches Chandigarh by 5.55pm. To commemorate the occasion, a ceremonial water cannon salute was accorded to the aircraft both during its departure from Chandigarh and its arrival in Hisar—a tradition in aviation to honour inaugural and special flights. The fare for the Chandigarh–Hisar route is being advertised at Rs 1,979, while the return fare is listed at Rs 1,724. The launch is part of a broader effort to improve regional air connectivity under the UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) scheme, aiming to make air travel more accessible to smaller cities across the country. In Hisar, Saini said the first flight from Hisar to Ayodhya was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the birth anniversary of B R Ambedkar. "Today, the second major milestone has been achieved with the start of air service to Shaheed Bhagat Singh Airport in Chandigarh," he added. Chandigarh International Airport Limited (CHIAL) CEO Ajay Kumar called it a "proud moment". "The initiative not only enhances regional connectivity but also strengthens air transport infrastructure across north India," he added. "We are confident that the service will gain further momentum in coming days." Air taxi failed An earlier attempt to connect Chandigarh and Hisar by air failed to attract passengers as amn air taxi facility was inaugurated in Jan 2021 amid much fanfare by the then Haryana chef Minister, Manohar Lal Khattar. The air taxi company had ordered four-seater airplanes. Besides the pilot, three passengers were to travel in the airplane. Launched under the UDAN scheme , it allowed tourists to fly Hisar-Chandigarh-Hisar route for just Rs 1,674 in 45 minutes. The service did could not attract passengers as the flight was also was put in loop with Dehradun.
The Hindu
4 days ago
- The Hindu
Heritage gets a makeover at Patiala's Ran Baas The Palace
Outside Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport, Chandigarh, spring's exuberance is fast fading. Dust devils dance like dervishes across a golden brown land as the hotel car speeds towards Patiala, an hour-and-a-half away. The car manoeuvres a warren of streets, and swings past a massive wooden, iron-studded door into the Qila Mubarak complex. Beats from a dholak rise to a crescendo, and staff in shell-pink sherwanis hold a phulkari chadar for me to pass under. As if on cue, a shower of petals descends from the latticed balcony above. A heavy door, with its green patina, swings open and Ran Baas The Palace reveals itself like an Andalusian dream — cupolas and arched corridors framing a sunken black-and-white tiled marble fountain. The heat feels like simmer coming to boil, but the fine mist from the fountain cools with the fragrance of a thousand roses. The 10-acre Qila Mubarak began life as a mud fort when the Sidhu Jat clan under Baba Ala Singh founded the Patiala royal house in 1763. Later maharajas added the interior Qila Androon, the Darbar Hall and Ran Baas, the guest house. During the heyday of princely India, Patiala was more than just a town one discovers when you journey elsewhere. The maharajas of Patiala, especially the last two, Bhupinder Singh and Yadavindra Singh, were known for their appetite for the good life — sport (Bhupinder helped found the BCCI and gave the world the concept of the famed Patiala peg after winning a game of polo; father and son were presidents of the Indian Olympic Association), hunt, education, food and jewellery (the many-layered Cartier necklace was commissioned by them). Post-Independence, the complex fell into disrepair until the State Government decided to restore it. And that is where Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels and well-known conservation architect Abha Narain Lambah stepped in. The renovation story of Ran Baas The Palace, once the abode of queens, is told through hand-written postcards left on my pillow by the guest relations executive, Pragati Gambhir, a Mughal miniature-style map of the complex on the writing desk and atte de biscuit that Patiala's bakeries have made since the Raj. 'Ran Baas has 25 suites with 10 more in the Gate Block,' says Deep Mohan Singh Arneja, general manager, as we sit for high tea on the terrace of what is arguably Punjab's first luxury palace hotel. A sea of cupolas, some with finials, others without, stretches as far as the eye can see. A Cessna aircraft drones past the purple-pink sky as the lights accentuate the alcoves. 'The Patiala Aviation Club was set up by Maharaja Bhupinder Singh for personal use,' says Arneja, adding: 'His larger-than-life persona defined life in Patiala. We have tried to recapture that grandeur.' Arneja has been on site along with Abha's team for nearly two years overseeing the palace's transformation. Some of the walls and roofs had caved in and fortifying the masonry took its time. The past unravels in room after room with araish work, as Subhash Antony, executive housekeeper, walks me through the Sikh-Mughal-Rajput inspired complex. 'Blue, teal, yellow and white dominate the rooms,' he says, showing the Heritage Suite, a spacious blue-and-white-themed room with parakeets in flight on the walls and windows that open to the Moulsari Garden. Chandeliers hang over the claw foot bathtub in the roomy bathroom. While this and the marble-bed Presidential Suite have a fair share of alcoves, the Shikarbagh and Naqqarkhana Suite have murals from another time that have been left untouched. 'No two rooms are the same. Jharokhas throw light from the outside during the day, at night it's the chandeliers from Klove Studio, designed like ear drops that light up the palace,' says Subhash of the chandeliers that complement the stairwell with a de Gournay miniature. Portraits of the maharajas — mustachioed, handsome and bejewelled, murals featuring leopards, framed phulkaris, jamavars and massive bathtubs appear as constants across the property as we take the buggy down to the Jhalau Khana, a banquet hall beyond a row of ancient cannon that supposedly housed the Kohinoor before it was shipped off to Britain. That evening, after a relaxing hour at the Aura spa, adjoining the swimming pool known as the Lassi Khana where once thousands were fed from the palace kitchens, dinner is a lamplit affair in the courtyard under the shade of the 200-year-old moulsari tree. The food is as luxurious as the rooms. 'We have tweaked Patiala's famed dishes, such as the chole bhature, so that it does not sit heavy,' says F&B manager, Aishwar Bhatia, although the palak patthe, a street-food classic with fried spinach leaves and yoghurt is a winner when paired with the Gulaabi Jaam cocktail (gin, lime, triple sec, Shiraz cabernet) made at the burgundy-midnight blue upholstered bar, The Patiala. The next morning's meal at Neel, the all-day dining restaurant, and barbeque dinner by Chef Pratham Swaroop at the many-mirrored Sheesh Mahal are reminders of why Punjabi cuisine has gone global. The itinerary for day two — taking in the sights of Patiala — has been decided for me by my assigned 'butler' Shaurya Kothari, a general management trainee. Shaurya has the efficiency of Downton Abbey's Mr Carson with none of his stuffy demeanour. We cross over to the Darbar Hall within the complex with its long Belgian chandeliers almost grazing the floor, portraits of British kings and queens and a vitrine full of matchlocks. Men and women exercise in the early morning sun. We journey on to the Gurudwara Dukh Niwaran Sahib (remover of all obstacles) and the Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports housed in the old Motibagh Palace. Among the treasures here are the 1983 Sunridges bat of Kapil Dev's, Milkha Singh's spikes from the Rome Olympics and the music record of the Delhi Asian Games. That evening we travel to Nabha, one among the Phulkian princely states, for high tea. Meet Gurudev Singh, assistant to Preeti Singh, granddaughter-in-law of the last king of Nabha regales us with Nabha's place in the history of the Sikhs and its kings who rebelled against the Raj. The palace is undergoing a round of renovation and is styled like a many-tiered cake with beautiful wrought iron and woodwork under the eaves of which wedding shoots are on. Tea arrives from both the royal kitchen and the hotel's picnic hamper and is served in crockery with the palace insignia in a viceregal drawing room with silver frames and ebony-tipped walking canes. The market place in Patiala, outside the Qila doors, is where I buy yards of phulkari and boxes of pinni. When I return to the suite, a bubble bath has been drawn. Well rested I leave early, at dawn. In the distance, one can hear the azaan. As the car leaves the fort's shadow, it is as if I have turned the page on a lamp-lit, horse-drawn age. Rooms are priced ₹48,000 plus taxes upwards. The writer was at Ran Baas the Palace at the invitation of The Park.
Time of India
13-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Dearth of passenger bookings leaves Chd airport flightless
Chandigarh: For the second consecutive day, Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport remained eerily silent with not a single flight taking off or landing on Tuesday. The absence of air traffic has been attributed to poor passenger turnout, leading airlines to cancel scheduled operators, including IndiGo and Air India , had initially announced limited flight operations following the Airports Authority of India's (AAI) decision to reopen airspace after the recent Indo-Pak tensions. However, the low passenger load forced airlines to cancel flights at the last which had scheduled four flights to and from key destinations such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Leh, pulled back on operations due to inadequate bookings. Similarly, Air India, which had proposed two flights for the day, also opted out."The announced flights were cancelled by the airline operators due to operational reasons," confirmed Chandigarh International Airport Limited (CHIAL) CEO Ajay Kumar. "We believe flight operations will normalise from May 15, as operators have resumed accepting bookings for flights post-5.45 am on that day. We advise passengers to make bookings accordingly."The disruptions are a direct fallout of the tense situation along the Indo-Pak border, which had prompted the temporary closure of 32 airports, including seven in North India. Following the announcement of a ceasefire and de-escalation of hostilities, AAI issued a notification on May 12 declaring the airports — including Chandigarh, Amritsar, Shimla, Ludhiana, Jammu, Srinagar, and Leh — fully this, Tuesday saw a total standstill in Chandigarh. Booking portals for major airlines now indicate availability from May 15 onward, but passenger interest remains low for May officials and airlines remain hopeful that services will resume smoothly once normalcy is restored and passenger confidence rebounds. Until then, Chandigarh continues to face the impact of regional instability and shifting travel patterns.
Hindustan Times
13-05-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Chandigarh airport resumes ops, first flight lands from Delhi
With India and Pakistan agreeing to a ceasefire, the Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport in Mohali resumed operations on Monday, and the first civilian flight -- an Indigo flight 6E 9057 from Delhi -- landing at 8.59 pm. All 52 civilian flights had been suspended since May 7 when the Indian Air Force took control over the facility amid intelligence inputs that the neighbouring country may hit military installations in India in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor, as part of which India had targeted several terrorist hideouts in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Chandigarh International Airport Ltd (CHIAL) chief executive officer (CEO) Ajay Kumar said, 'The airport is now operational and open for normal flight operations with immediate effect. The airlines have been informed, and we are hopeful that they will resume flights in a day or two.' Kumar advised passengers to check flight status directly with their respective airlines and monitor the official website of the airlines for latest information, he said. At present, three Airlines operate from this airport -- Indigo, Air India and Alliance Air. On Monday, Indigo airlines initially issued a press statement that it has resumed flight bookings on the recently closed routes, including Delhi-Chandigarh route but after drone spotting at several places late evening, the airlines cancelled its flights. IndiGo said in a post on X at 23:38 hours on Monday,'In light of the latest developments and with your safety as our utmost priority, flights to and from Jammu, Amritsar, Chandigarh, Leh, Srinagar, and Rajkot are cancelled for 13th May 2025,' The airline also said its teams are actively monitoring the situation. The Chandigarh airport caters to several major domestic routes, including Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad, Indore, Leh, Jaipur, Lucknow, Chennai, Patna, and Pune. It also operates two international flights to Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), handling a daily footfall of approximately 10,000 passengers. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) manages the civil terminal in collaboration with the Punjab and Haryana governments, while runway operations and air traffic control fall under the jurisdiction of the Chandigarh Air Force Station, which also determines the operational hours for commercial passenger flights.
Time of India
12-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Chandigarh airport reopens, Delhi flight resumes
1 2 Chandigarh: The Airports Authority of India (AAI) on Monday officially withdrew the Notice to Airmen (NOTAM), paving the way for the resumption of civil flight operations at Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport. The move follows a temporary suspension of operations due to heightened regional tensions between India and Pakistan earlier this the orders for reopening were issued on Monday morning, commercial airline operations are yet to resume fully, as carriers work to gradually restore services. Confirming the development, Chandigarh International Airport Limited (CHIAL) CEO Ajay Kumar said, "Chandigarh airport is now ready and open for normal civil flight operations with immediate effect."The AAI in its notification said, "In light of evolving circumstances and dynamic airspace conditions, commercial flight operations were temporarily suspended at 32 airports until 05:29 hrs of May 15, 2025. It is now pleased to inform that these airports are fully operational for civil aircraft movements with immediate effect. "Passengers scheduled to travel are advised to check flight status directly with their respective airlines and monitor airline websites for the latest the government's directive, several airline operators have begun reinstating services. IndiGo, the country's largest airline, reopened flight bookings and resumed select operations starting Monday, including the Delhi–Chandigarh–Delhi route. The airline stated that additional routes will be restored progressively in the coming days."IndiGo teams are working diligently to ensure a smooth, secure, and seamless travel experience, supported by enhanced protocols and timely communication," the airline said in a statement. Passengers can check updates at or contact customer support via email at airport, which had been under complete operational control of the Indian Air Force since May 7, suspended all 52 scheduled flights as a precautionary measure amid escalating tensions, severely impacting passenger travel and over 10,000 passengers daily, Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport is a vital gateway for the Chandigarh-Mohali region, offering domestic connectivity to major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Chennai, Pune, Lucknow, Indore, Srinagar, Dharamshala, Jammu, and Leh, as well as international flights to destinations including Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
