MOHALI: The coronavirus pandemic has hurt the Chandigarh international airport, reducing the footfall to 50% with just 4,000 to 5,000 passengers boarding and de-boarding 23 flights. The ban on international flights is not helping too. The airport is only left with two flights to Dubai that are yet to resume.
The central government has not lifted the ban on international flights because of which the flights to Dubai and Sharjah have not resumed, said an official spokesperson. Earlier, Chandigarh was connected to Bangkok, but the flight was called off due to non-viability factor.
The spokesperson said the airport activity is slowly normalising with some of the discontinued flights to Lucknow, Chennai, Goa and Kolkata resuming and others to do so soon.
The IndiGo flight to Goa had resumed from July 1. The fare ranges from Rs 6,400 to Rs 7,300 depending upon the booking timeframe. The flight departs Chandigarh at 8.25 am to reach Goa at 11.30 am. The return flight departs Goa at 12 noon to reach Chandigarh at 2.45pm.
Similarly, IndiGo flight to Kolkata has also resumed. The flight departs Chandigarh at 7pm to reach Kolkata at 9.25pm. The flight arrives from Kolkata at 3.10pm, departing at 12.25pm. The fare ranges from Rs 7,400 to Rs 8,700.
The IndiGo Chennai flight departs from Chennai at 8.50am to reach Chandigarh at 11.55am. It departs Chandigarh at 12.25 pm to reach Chennai at 3.35 pm. The fare ranges from Rs 5,600 to Rs 7,300. The IndiGo Lucknow flight has also resumed operations. The flight departs Chandigarh at 6.45am to reach Lucknow at 8.05am. It departs from Lucknow at 1.35pm to reach Chandigarh at 2.55pm. The fare ranges from Rs 4,600 to Rs 5,400.
