SRINAGAR, SEPTEMBER 11 SEP 2017
To ensure that the Srinagar bound Hajj flights arrive early in the day, the Air India (AI) has rescheduled the flight schedule from today. This follows the strong note taken by Chief Minister, Mehbooba Mufti over the delay caused in the landing of first Hajj flight to Srinagar and the consequent inconvenience caused to the Hajjies of that flight.
The Chief Minister, it may be recalled, had on September 07 asked the Chief Secretary to take up the matter with the authorities of Civil Aviation at the Centre and ask the airline authorities and Air Traffic Control to ensure that the same is not repeated.
As per the schedule communicated by the Air India, the flights from Saudi Arabia to Srinagar would be rescheduled from today to arrive here early in the afternoon at 1.55 PM and 03.15 PM except for the two flights on September 13 and 14 which would be landing at 10 AM in the morning.
The Chief Minister had also directed the State administration to ensure that in no case shall the flights carrying Hajjies back home be made to wait for landing or put to any inconvenience. The flights, as per the revised schedule by Air India, would now be directly arriving to Srinagar early afternoon rather than getting diverted via Delhi.
Meanwhile, the J&K Resident Commission, on the instructions of the Chief Minister has set up a team comprising SP-CID Cell, New Delhi and Protocol Officers to monitor the Hajj flights from Saudi Arabia to Srinagar daily so that the arrangements to be made in case of any eventuality are made well in advance.