Mohali, January 8: With a flight taking off for Nanded Sahib from the local airport this morning, Chandigarh has been directly connected by air with the place of Sikh pilgrimage.
The flight, which was packed to capacity with 162 passengers on board, took off at 9.10 am amid religious chants. Sikh priests performed a ‘shabad kirtan’ and ‘ardas’ at the airport before the flight took off.
Later, the flight, which returned from Nanded, was given a “water salute” by the airport authorities at Mohali as a mark of respect. Passengers were given a warm welcome by Air India and the airport authorities amid dhol beats and bhangra.
According to MR Jindal, Air India manager at the local airport, the return flight from Hazoor Sahib was also packed to capacity.
The flight will operate twice a week — Tuesday and Wednesday. The flight will take off at 9.10 am from Chandigarh and reach its destination at 11.30 am. From Nanded Sahib, it will depart at 12.05 pm and arrive at 2.20 pm.
