The Centre gave its consent to upgrade the Chandigarh domestic airport as an international airport after Punjab agreed to transfer 300 acres required for the purpose. The airport would come up as a special purpose vehicle (SPV) and would benefit Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh.
The Union civil aviation minister Praful Patel along with Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal would lay the foundation stone of this project on the same day. A decision to this effect was taken during a meeting between chief minister Badal and Praful Patel at New Delhi.
The Airport Authority of India (AAI) and Punjab government will sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in this regard on January 4. This is sequel to the visit of executive director of AAI last month when he called upon the Punjab chief secretary RI Singh to discuss the details in this regard.
Patel also agreed to Badal’s proposal to initially start weekly or bi-weekly international flights to and from the Chandigarh airport to Dubai, Middle East by October in 2008. Later, these flights will be flown to London, Vancouver and other countries of the Europe in anticipation to the upcoming Mohali international airport.
Badal also asked the civil aviation ministry to take up the matter with ministry of defence to expedite the issuance of no objection certificate for the two civil airports coming up at Sahnewal (Ludhiana) and Bhisiana (Bathinda) besides an international airport at Mohali.