No direct Hajj flights from Srinagar airport

Srinagar: With Saudi Arabia-based airliners winning this year’s contract for Hajj flights, there will be no direct flights this year from Srinagar ‘International’ Airport to Jeddah to fly the pilgrims. Worried, the state Hajj Committee has asked the state government and the Central Hajj Committee of India to intervene in the matter as it could not only put the aspiring Hajjis to difficulties but has put a question mark over the ‘International’ status of the Srinagar airport.
Sources told Greater Kashmir that the state’s Executive Hajj Officer, has formally written to the Central Hajj Committee urging it to take up the matter with the Union Ministry for Civil Aviation and try to ensure that direct flights operate from Srinagar airport as was the past precedence.
“The official wrote to the Central Hajj Committee last Friday but there was no response. He again took up the matter with New Delhi based authorities on 22nd of this month. The state Hajj authorities have also taken up the matter with the state government,” sources told Greater Kashmir.
For the first time, sources said three airlines from Saudi Arabia had won the contracts from Civil Aviation Ministry to operate between India and Jeddah. Since the airliner does not operate to Jammu and Kashmir,the authorities would require the aspiring Hajjis from Kashmir as well as Jammu to fly them to New Delhi wherefrom they would be carried to Jeddah, sources said.
24/09/10 Muddasir Ali/Greater Kashmir

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Categories: airports Sep 2010, Foreign Sep 2010