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AMRITSAR BOOMING
Doha-Amritsar flights daily, three five stars in town, two on the
way
WSN Network
 AMRITSAR:
Buoyant over launching its operations from Amritsar last month,
Qatar Airways on Monday announced to increase the frequency of the
Amritsar-Doha flight from four days a week to daily by March 2010.
Chief Executive
Officer (CEO) Akbar Al Baker said they had launched operations from
Amritsar on October 12.
“Now, it has
been decided to make the Amritsar-Doha flight a daily affair from
March 2010 for exploring the business potential,” he revealed.
On several
international airlines discontinuing flights from
Amritsar
owing to poor business, Baker commented that his airline was growing
at an average of 35 per cent per annum. “We are hopeful to tap the
business potential from Amritsar for its capability to emerge as a
good business hub in the years to come. We are expecting good cargo
business from the holy city as well,” he said.
 Baker
said the airways had a fleet of 71 aircraft while the tally would
touch 110 by 2013. “We have already placed an order of 220 aircraft
to expand our wings worldwide,” he said.
Baker said Qatar
Airways would start its operations from
Melbourne
on December 6 while Sydney would be part of the destinations’ list
by 2010.
The increase in
frequency announced by the airline is proof that the Amritsar
airport needs immediate modernisation. Experts estimate that in the
next few weeks, about 100 regular international flights per week
will be landing at Amritsar airport, bringing in at least 6 lakh
passengers. Next year the number of international and domestic
flights per week will exceed 160 and the number of passengers will
comfortably surpass the 700,000 mark.
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Five star
hotel Ista has started operations. Raddison and Holiday Inn are
almost complete. Taj and
Rwanda
are set to start construction. Bombay Palace and Lalit are on
the way. Merrion, Country Inn, Comfort Inn, Best
Western
Merrion,
Welcome Heritage are doing brisk business. Food joints Yo
China,
Cobe Sizzler, Subway, Aura, Oka, Barista, Café Coffee Day are
minting money. McDonald’s and KFC are gearing up to start. |
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It is time the
authorities woke up to the fact while at present most of the
aircraft using this airport are mid-sized, carrying between 200 and
250 passengers, the Amritsar airport needs to be equipped to
accommodate larger passenger aircraft. Right now the Boeing Jumbo
777s and 757s are using this airport and soon Jumbo 747-400s and
Jumbo 787 dream-liner aircrafts will be able to use this airport.
But then, Qatar
Airways is not the only one trying to ride a booming tourism
industry. With the global slump set on revival course, even a
cursory walk through the city reveals new food chains, hotels, tour
and travel companies even as a five star hotel Ista has already
started operations. Raddison and Holiday Inn are near complete,
while Taj and
Rwanda
are expected to start construction in the near future.
Bombay Palace
and Lalit are coming to town as well. Merrion, Country Inn, Comfort
Inn, Best Western Merrion, Welcome Heritage etc are already doing
brisk business, as per reports.
Food joints Yo
China, Cobe Sizzler, Subway, Aura, Oka, Barista, Café Coffee Day and
Delhi Chat are here while McDonald’s and KFC are slated to launch
before the end of this year.
 Punjab
tourism department has finally put up its information offices at the
railway station exit point and the Rajasansi International Airport.
There is a proposal to put up similar offices outside the historic
Rambagh Garden and Gobindgarh Fort, which is currently under
renovation.
The Radio Taxi
is fast becoming a hit. Given the response of tourism trade some
prominent companies like SOTC, Cox and Kings, Thoms Cook, Kuoni,
Arzoo.com have set up base here as well.
The country’s
biggest wholesale centre Wall Mart has opened its first branch here.
Some chronic
problems, however, continue. Lack of civic amenities, sanitation,
pollution, traffic chaos and laborious road networks dampen tourist
appeal. The historic Jallianwala Bagh is witnessing renovation as is
happening at the Gobindgarh Fort.
11
November 2009
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