news details |
|
|
| Frequent flight delays land passengers in dilemma | | | Early Times Reporter
Jammu | Dec 25
Due to frequent flight delays and lack of parking space available at the Jammu airport passengers traveling from and to Jammu by air are facing many hardships but no help is coming their way. For the last three weeks passengers traveling frequently are not catching up their flights in time despite weather remaining clear on most of the days. Last week a group of passengers faced piquant situation when their plane landed here in Jammu but left their luggage behind. On Tuesday again a group of passengers traveling between Jammu-Delhi were not handed over their boarding passes at the Jammu airport for reporting 10 minute behind the schedule.
In fact the Jet Airways was scheduled to leave for Delhi at 2.40 pm but after persistent inquiries the passengers were told that the flight was delayed and was expected to leave at 3.30 pm.
One of the couple reached the airport at 2.40 pm and was carrying two small suit cases which took no time for screening. Yet the airline staff created scene at the airport and it was after great persuasion and as a result of Station Manager's intervention, that the couple was cleared for the air travel. Archana, one of the passengers traveling between Jammu and Delhi via Jet Airways blamed the air services operators for not sticking to the schedule. During her earlier trip a week ago the Jetlite flight kept on hovering in the sky for more than half an hour because there was no space for landing as three planes were on the landing strip.
The officials of the airport confirmed that during the last three weeks most of the flights from and to Jammu ran behind the schedule by one to two hours. Apart from occasional weather related problems, the delay in the expansion of the airport has been the main factor for delay in arrival and departure of the planes. They said during the last three years more than seven air services operate from and to Jammu but the space for landing and take off has remained static.
Officials said that the Airport Authority of India has decided to spend Rs.52 crore on the modernization and expansion of Jammu airport. Already Rs.110 crore project for modernisation and expansion of Srinagar airport was under progress. The Airport Authority of India, which had earmarked Rs 40 crores for the expansion of Jammu airport failed to implement the project because of delay in land acquisition. Under the expansion programme the airstrip at the Jammu airport was being increased from 6700 feet to 8000 feet in view of more aviation companies having started operating on Delhi-Jammu-Srinagar aerial routes. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
