National
Maiden Haj flight from Srinagar
By Gargi Parsai
SRINAGAR, JAN. 20. It was a historic moment here today as the first batch of Haj pilgrims boarded an Indian Airlines aircraft for the first-ever commercial international flight out of Srinagar airport. A soft winter sun mellowed the chill in the air as 214 Hajis, mostly elderly, dressed in the traditional pilgrimage gear, took off amidst tight security on a pilgrimage to Jeddah on a direct flight. As part of the new facilitation services, the Government had arranged for provision of foreign exchange to Hajis at the Srinagar airport. Earlier Hajis had to come to Delhi to board a flight to Jeddah.
Two Union Ministers, the Civil Aviation Minister, Shahnawaz Hussain, and Minister of State for External Affairs, Omar Abdullah, were at hand to inaugurate the flight. Accompanied by a team of journalists, they had brought in from Delhi the Indian Airlines aircraft, Airbus A300B4, which took the first batch of Hajis from Srinagar to Jeddah. The flight will go via Ahmedabad - due to closure of Pakistan airspace - and make a brief halt at Sharjah to refuel and to change crew.
The flight will use Air India's flight number, as the Maharajah is the designated airline for this international sector. As per their code-share arrangement, the two airlines will operate 30 flights out of Srinagar for Haj this year. From January 28, two daily flights will be operated.
Speaking to mediapersons at the airport, Mr. Shahnawaz Hussain said nearly 70,000 pilgrims from all over India will perform Haj this year of which 6,500 will be from Srinagar. He said direct flights from here were a long standing demand of pilgrims from this region which was delayed because of the physical parameters of the airport. This year keeping in view the convenience of the pilgrims it was decided to provide direct flights in two phases.
The Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Farooq Abdullah, could not attend the inaugural function as he was meeting a U.S. security delegation in Jammu. Later he met Mr. Shahnawaz Hussain at the Delhi airport and sought civilian flights from Kargil and expansion of the Srinagar airport.
A Haji, Mohammad Sheikh Abdullah, welcomed the direct flight. ``It is less cumbersome, means less payment and less security,'' he told The Hindu.
The press party accompanying the Ministers got a taste of the security at the Srinagar airport where all hand baggage were emptied out at three points. To cap it all, the security did not load the camera cells, rolls and other ``security items'' on the return flight to Delhi giving credence to rumours that items kept aside by security are not loaded with passengers most of the times.
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
National
|
