Chandigarh International Airport named as Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport
The Voice of Chandigarh | Travel Trade Reporter:
On the Birth Anniversary of Shaheed Bhagat Singh, Chandigarh International Airport was named as Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport in a ceremony held at the airport today. Nirmala Sitharaman, Hon’ble Finance Minister unveiled the plaque in presence of Bandaru Dattatreya, Hon’ble Governor, Haryana; Banwarilal Purohit, Hon’ble Governor, Punjab & Administrator of Chandigarh; Bhagwant Mann, Hon’ble Chief Minister, Punjab; Dushyant Chautala, Hon’ble Deputy Chief Minister, Haryana and General (Dr.) Vijay Kumar Singh, Hon’ble State for Road Transport & Highways and Civil Aviation; Kirron Kher, Member of Parliament, Chandigarh, Anil Vij, Minister of Home Affairs, Haryana Government.
During the naming ceremony, Nirmala Sitharaman, Hon’ble Finance Minister said “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav today is reaching all corners of the country. Every time we see the faces of our worthy freedom fighters, their names on our public buildings, we remember the sacrifices done by their generations. We don’t take our freedom for granted”.
Bandaru Dattatreya, Hon’ble Governor, Haryana & Banwarilal Purohit, Hon’ble Governor, Punjab expressed happiness on the occasion and said that Shaheed Bhagat Singh’s true devotion towards our Motherland will remain an inspiration forever.
While addressing the audience, General (Dr.) Vijay Kumar Singh, Hon’ble State for Road Transport & Highways and Civil Aviation said that the naming of Chandigarh airport after Bhagat Singh by Hon’ble PM is a prestigious moment for the whole nation. Bhagat Singh is an inspiration for millions of youth of the country & this is a befitting tribute to his glorious memory.
Hon’ble Bhagwant Mann, Chief Minister, Punjab thanked the Prime Minister and welcomed the decision of naming the Chandigarh airport after Shaheed Bhagat Singh Ji.
Hailing the Hon’ble PM’s move, Dushyant Chautala, Deputy Chief Minister, Haryana said that the young generation should draw inspiration from Bhagat Singh’s sacrifice and established values.
Chandigarh Airport belongs to the Indian Airforce (IAF). Chandigarh International Airport Limited, a Joint Venture of AAI, Punjab Govt. and Haryana Govt. maintains the civil enclave. Presently, the airport is connected to Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kangra, Kolkata, Kullu, Leh, Lucknow, Mumbai, Patna Pune, and Srinagar in the country. Internationally, the city is connected to Dubai and Sharjah.
The airport handled 17,936 international passengers and 2,271,233 domestic passengers in the year 2021-2022. In addition to this, the airport has also handled about 11000 MT of domestic air cargo in the F.Y. 2021-2022.
Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his monthly Mann Ki Baat Radio broadcast on 25th September 2022 said that the Chandigarh airport will be named after Shaheed Bhagat Singh as a tribute to the great freedom fighter and the speed of the government is visible in the fact that within three days of the announcement, the same stands achieved today.
