Sgr Airport Authority marks March 28 as historic day, records highest ever flight operations

*Operated 90 flights with 15,014 passengers, busiest day in history; This is just beginning of summer schedule; say airport officials;  Last time figure was 13700 this year, upgrading infrastructure, placing help desks to facilitate every passenger: Director Airport, Says new building to come up soon*

Abid Bashir

Srinagar, Mar 29 (KNO): Srinagar International Airport authorities have marked March 28 as the busiest day in the airport’s history as a record number of 90 flights were operated in a single day.

An airport official told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), for the first time in the history of Srinagar airport, 90 flights with 15014 passengers on board were recorded on March 28. “We handled 45 arriving flights with 7824 passengers and 45 departing flights with 7190 passengers on March 28. A total of 90 flights with 15014 passengers makes it the busiest day in our history,” said an official of the Srinagar airport, adding that this was just beginning of the summer schedule.

Talking to KNO, Director Srinagar Airport Sharad Kumar said that this was for the first time that such a record number of flights operated from the Srinagar airport. “Our concern is to ensure there is no congestion at the airport. For that, we are upgrading the infrastructure and placing help desks at several places to ensure each pilgrim is facilitated,” he said. “A new building is also coming up to accommodate more passengers. That will help address the issue of congestion. At present we are ensuring that there is no congestion at the airport and for that a series of steps have been taken.”

He said March 28 broke the previous record of this year when 13700 passengers arrived and departed from the airport. “The figure is likely to increase as the summer schedule has just begun,” Kumar said. The record number of arrivals and departures at the Srinagar airport comes a day after KNO broke the story that the ensuing month of March has registered record number of tourist arrivals, first time in the past ten years