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Air News: No Direct Flights Between Amritsar and Canada Upset SGPC, Punjabi Diaspora

The latest air service agreement between India and Canada has alarmed the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and the Punjabi diaspora in Canada because it makes no mention of direct air connectivity between Canada and Punjab, India which means no direct flights between Amritsar and Canada upset SGPC, Punjabi diaspora. So, if you are looking to book cheap flight tickets from Canada to Amritsar, take a look at this article first. Below are more details regarding the Canada Campaign for Direct Flights to Amritsar.

No Direct Flights Between Amritsar and Canada

The recent bilateral air service agreement between India and Canada has upset the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and the Punjabi diaspora in Canada because it has not yet announced a direct flight connection between Punjab and Canada. The lack of flights from Canada to Sri Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport Amritsar has irritated the SGPC and the Punjabi diaspora.

According to SGPC general secretary and spokesperson Gurcharan Singh Grewal, “This is a discriminatory attitude toward the Guru Nagari (the city of the Guru), Amritsar, which is why there is resentment among the Sikhs in India and abroad.” The new deal for flights from various Indian cities includes airports, but the absence of Amritsar has led to discrimination against Punjabis and Sikhs, in particular.

He claimed that, despite SGPC President Harjinder Singh Dhami leading the passage of a special resolution demanding direct flights from Sri Amritsar during the SGPC budget session on March 30, 2022, the government of India purposefully failed to provide its fair share of flights to Punjab. He asserted that this is unjust to Punjabis.

Sikhs are spread extensively around the globe, and a considerable number of Punjabis and Sikhs also live in Canada.

However, they face numerous obstacles on their journey home. In addition to sacrificing valuable time going from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport to Punjab, they suffer a heavy financial burden. However, the new bilateral air service agreement just raises the number of flights that can operate (for airlines of both countries) from 35 to an endless number, notwithstanding the demands of the Canadian Punjabi community for direct flights to Amritsar. This has left all of the Punjabi immigrants to Canada feeling quite let down. Visit website flyopedia.com for cheap flight deals from the US to India.

New India-Canada Air Service Agreement

As per the new arrangement, only six major Indian metropolises—Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai, and Kolkata—can be reached directly by Canadian Airlines. There are no limitations on how many flights the airline can run to these locations. Air Canada has begun running nonstop flights from Toronto to Mumbai and back via London Heathrow Airport as of October 30.  The extra cities may be indirectly served by code-sharing services with Indian airlines.

Furthermore, Indian airlines are free to fly to two additional cities of their choice in addition to Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, and Edmonton. Thus, if you are looking to book cheap flight tickets from Toronto to Mumbai, make sure to visit Flyopedia, the one-stop destination for all your travel requirements.

FlyAmritsar Initiative

The FlyAmritsar Initiative, an advocacy group, has spoken out against this unjust decision. The initiative’s worldwide convener, Sameep Singh Gumtala, and the North American convener, Anantdeep Singh Dhillon, who is based in Canada, made the following statements:

In an official petition delivered to the Canadian Parliament earlier this year, more than 19000 Canadian citizens and permanent residents urged the administration to support the start of direct flights from Canada to Amritsar. Along with discussing the petition, Canadian Transport Minister Omar Alghabra and Indian Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia also addressed the demand on May 4 during a meeting.

In Conclusion

It is unfortunate that the new India-Canada air service agreement does not include the name of Amritsar Airport, despite the tremendous demand from the more than one million strong Punjabi community in Canada. Once again, neither the Canadian nor the Indian governments have heeded the long-overdue requests or sentiments of the Canadian Punjabi population.

Let’s just hope that the administration will take the many petitions into consideration and start direct flights between these two locations soon.

Are you taking part in this campaign and want to book a trip to Amritsar? Although there are currently no direct flights, we can nevertheless provide you with the most cost-effective connecting trip options. You can browse through Flyopedia, the best online travel website, and book cheap flights to India from Canada whenever you want. We will book the most affordable flights for you on the routes that best fit your needs.

Also Read: Canadian MPs Vouch for Direct Flights to Amritsar in India

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