The Punjabi community living in Australia has welcomed the launch of Air Asia’s new flight services to the holy city of Amritsar in India.
With the launch of Air Asia's services, many cities across Australia including Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Gold Coast are now directly connected to Amritsar via Kuala Lumpur, with three more airlines likely to directly link this route.
At present Amritsar is already connected with Kuala Lumpur by Malindo Air and with Singapore by Scoot, providing an easy access to south-east Asia and onwards to Australia and New Zealand, where Punjabis are increasingly travelling to for education, work and leisure.
From 16 August, Air Asia started operating four weekly flights between Kuala Lumpur and Amritsar.
AirAsia X flight D7188 departed from Kuala Lumpur with AirAsia’s fun team dancing to Bhangra beats while guests and dignitaries onboard were treated to traditional Laddu [Indian sweets] amongst other entertainment inflight as part of the celebrations.
Joining the inaugural festivities AirAsia X Chairman Tan Sri Rafidah said, “AirAsia is a pioneer of affordable long-haul travel and we are thrilled to be adding Amritsar to our fast-growing network.”
“With more than 150,000 visitor seats on offer annually, there has never been a better time to visit this leading travel destination and commercial, cultural hub in the heart of Punjab.”
An Indian Australian businessman Sarmuhabat Singh Randhawa, who frequently travels between Amritsar and Melbourne, has welcomed the launch of this new service.
“It partially fulfills our long-term demand of better air connection to our region in and around Amritsar. The connection through New Delhi was very time consuming and at times totally out of reach,” he said.
With the start of new Air Asia flights, passengers from 15 cities including Bali, Melbourne, Sydney, Singapore, and Bangkok will now be able to connect (via Kuala Lumpur) to Amritsar alongside existing routes to New Delhi and Jaipur.
Amritsar is located in the north-western part of India. The city is home to one of the most popular destinations in India, Sikh’s holiest shrines, Harmandir Sahib (The Golden Temple) and historical and cultural sites including Jallianwala Bagh, Wagah Border, the War and Partition Museum and Gobindgarh Fort.
The co-convenor of #FlyAmritsar initiative Anantdeep Singh Dhillon told SBS Punjabi that the new flights will give passengers flying through Malaysia a quicker option than first having to transit through New Delhi.
Amritsar’s Sri Harmandir Sahib also known as Golden Temple is one of India’s most spectacular sites. Source: Supplied
“This is a great outcome for the passengers who want to fly between Amritsar and major Australian cities,” said Mr Dhillon.
"The journey between Amritsar and Sydney can now be completed in less than 16 hours with this expedient connection.”
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The convenor of #FlyAmritsar initiative Sameep Singh Gumtala has welcomed the launch of the new flights.
“It’s a great moment for the Punjabi diaspora living in the Australasia region. I hope they support our initiative for bringing in more airline connections to Amritsar,” he said.
"The new flights will bring in millions in revenue not only to the airport but also to the region including more employment opportunities and extended benefit to farmers, students and businessmen.
"Not only Punjab but neighbouring states of Himachal, Jammu Kashmir and Haryana will also benefit from it. Students and families can now visit each other more often between the two countries with the low-cost fares and better convenient connections."
Punjab’s Tourism Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu welcomed the first flight that landed in Amritsar today.
Mr Sidhu said that it is the start of a new chapter that would play a significant role in connecting Punjab with other countries of Asia as well as Europe.
In a press release, Air Asia stated that since 2010, the airline carried more than 19 million passengers across 21 cities in India, including more than 300,000 guests on its long-haul network to New Delhi and Jaipur.
AirAsia X CEO Benyamin Ismail said, “We are excited to bring the AirAsia experience to Amritsar for the very first time. Amritsar is of significant interest to tourists thanks to the Harmandir Sahib (The Golden Temple) and the city’s numerous historic and cultural sites.”
“We are confident the new services will prove popular for both tourist and domestic visitors alike.”
To celebrate the new service, AirAsia is also offering promotional all-in-fares to Amritsar (India) from key Fly-Thru destinations Sydney, Perth, Gold Coast and Melbourne Avalon.
