Shaheed Bhagat Singh International (SBSI) Airport now has a direct daily flight to another destination in the UAE — Abu Dhabi — after Dubai.
The first flight to Abu Dhabi departed from the airport with 173 passengers on board at 2:45 am today. The first arrival from there with 83 passengers touched down at 3:04 am.
The airfares are in the range from Rs 8,000 to Rs 12,500 for one-way travel.
With the launch of the Abu Dhabi service, the airport has now become operational round the clock. The new flight will cater to people travelling abroad for business and tourism. “Its timings are such that the travellers from this region can take connecting flights further without wasting much time in transit in Abu Dhabi,” said an official. The first flight from Chandigarh was totally booked.
The flight to Dubai departs from Chandigarh at 4:25 pm and arrives there at 3:15 am daily.
The Sharjah flight was discontinued on October 27 last year. The thrice-a-week flight, with 360 seats (180+180), was much in demand with the people of this region but was stopped abruptly in winter. The thrice-a-week flight to Bangkok was also discontinued in 2018 after being in service for around one year.
173 on board first flight
The first flight from to Abu Dhabi departed from the airport with 173 passengers at 2:45 am on Thursday. The first arrival from there with 83 passengers touched down at 3:04 am. The airfares are in the range from Rs 8,000 to Rs 12,500 for one-way travel.