Direct flights from Australia, New Zealand to holy city Amritsar now available
PTC Web Desk: The Punjabi community residing in various Southeast Asian countries, Australia, and New Zealand will now have more flight options for direct travel from Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International (SGRDJI) Airport in Amritsar, Punjab.
Four prominent airlines—Batik Air, Air Asia X, Malaysia Airlines, and Scoot—have introduced direct flights to Amritsar via their respective hubs in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. These airlines are actively competing to attract the Punjabi diaspora and boost their business.
Starting from November 8, Malaysia Airlines will launch two weekly direct flights from Kuala Lumpur to the holy city of Amritsar. These airlines will offer direct connections from Punjab to multiple cities across Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, and more, including Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, Auckland, Bangkok, Phuket, Bali, Ho Chi Minh City, and Manila. This initiative represents the third Malaysian airline to start operations to Amritsar, providing a total of 700 seats per week. Malaysia Airlines is also a part of the Oneworld Alliance, which allows passengers to connect with carriers from various countries, such as Qantas in Australia, making journeys to cities in Australia and New Zealand more accessible, with travel times ranging from 15 to 17 hours.
To enhance convenience for travellers, Singapore's Scoot has adjusted its flight schedule for the winter season, from November to the end of March. The Scoot flight will now arrive at the Amritsar airport at 9:05 am and depart for Singapore at 10:30 am. The airline operates Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft with 335 or 375 seats on this route, providing a total of 3,430 seats per week. These new flight timings offer seamless connectivity for both inbound and outbound travelers to a wide network of destinations beyond Singapore.
Sameep Singh Gumtala, the convener of the FlyAmritsar Initiative, encourages Punjabis to choose direct flights to Amritsar over Delhi to support and ensure the success of these flight services.