Night flights
It was after a pretty long wait that a successful trial for the night flight operations at the Srinagar International Airport was conducted. This trial means that full-fledged night operations at the airport may soon become a reality after a final approval from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) next week.
The flight trial was conducted by Go Air and the company has already rescheduled its various flights and announced their arrival for late evening in Srinagar later during the month. The night flight operation from Srinagar airport will definitely mean a big boost for various sectors here.
These include tourism, trade and other allied sectors as the night connectivity will offer travelers a varied option for travel and connectivity.
Kashmir is one of the most sought after tourist destination but the main hiccup that the tourists face is connectivity with the region. The road connectivity to Kashmir is in the worse phase since the past several years now.
The Jammu Srinagar national highway is a virtual nightmare for a traveler as the distance of mere 270 kilometers proves very difficult for the traveler to cross and in most of the cases it takes days together to cross this minor distance. Besides, the facilities that are available for the travelers on the highway are so pathetic that most of the people avoid travelling by road.
In such a scenario air travel remains the only option for the average traveler as this offers convenience and saves lot of his resources and time.
Srinagar Airport is one of the busiest airports in the country. The airport witnessed close to 30 flights a day and if the night flight operations become a reality the airport can operate 24×7 and can prove a boon for the tourism trade as the arrivals will witness a steep rise.
The improved connectivity will also help the economy in many other ways as the night connectivity can help in improving the air courier services which can be availed for various perishable commodities which otherwise fail to make it to the markets in various metro cities and other happening places.
However, one important thing that the authorities need to take up and that too seriously is the improvement in the services that are offered at the airport here.
Going by the past experiences the airport has very little to boast about. This includes services that are being offered to the travelers. The services at the airport need a massive face lift and the facilities including eateries should be enhanced and brought at par with the best in the Industry.
Besides, services for passengers which include caring for the ill and the children should also be maintained at the airport.
Right now such services are available but these are negligible which needs to be changed and improvised at an earliest.
