AHNEWAL airport and the lone Air India flight that connects the commercial capital of Punjab to the national capital, has struck a chord among Ludhianvis, who have had a bitter experience of flying out of or into the city. Mona Singh, principal of Guru Nanak Public School shares her experience with other readers

When the flight service between Delhi and Ludhiana was announced in May 2010, it seemed a dream come true and was greeted with a lot of enthusiasm. But to the dismay of the people of this region, the dream turned into a nightmare. I was to go to Delhi for my daughter's counselling for admission to NIFT and booked the tickets for the flight.

Our trauma started the moment we set out for the airport at Sahnewal because the road was full of potholes and the ride bumpy. Traffic congestion on the road made the drive seem endless.

On reaching the airport we were surprised at the absence of any information regarding the flight status and equally conspicuous by their absence were the airport officials. Finally we were informed that the flight had been delayed by one hour. A long arduous wait of an hour did not end our travail because the flight was yet to take off from Delhi, so we were told. Finally the flight arrived after three and half hours of waiting.

I realized that had I taken a train for Delhi, we would have been much better off till my co-passengers told me that we were fortunate that the flight was only delayed and not cancelled.

I compliment Times of India for highlighting this issue, which concerns the people of this region. With so many NRIs coming to Punjab all the year round and Ludhiana being an industrial hub, this facility can become a boon only if the Airports Authority of India does the needful to upgrade this airport . Also the local authorities need to provide a better approach road to the airport. A more responsive and cordial airport staff is also a pre-requisite, otherwise a journey to Delhi by train is any day more comfortable and time saving.