Flights to and from Srinagar’s supposed International airport were on Friday resumed after a gap of over two weeks.
The Srinagar airport was closed for flights on September 3 to enable the re-carpeting of the runway and the flight operations were diverted to the Awantipora Air Force Base, 32-km south of Srinagar.
But on Tuesday, the air services were suspended for the first time since Kargil war eleven years ago in view of the surge in violence in the Valley. Since, Srinagar with all other cities and towns of the Valley remained under strict round-the-clock curfew for the sixth day-straight on Friday, the authorities announced that the air tickets of the passengers would be treated as their curfew passes.
However, the passengers, instead of relocating to the airport from their respective places, are supposed to reach Srinagar’s Tourist Reception Centre (TRC) almost six hours prior to flight timings to be ferried to the airport in official buses.
Mr Asgar Samoon, Kashmir’s divisional commissioner, said that it was with the intention of ensuring hassle-free travel for the passengers that the passengers have been asked to report at the TRC in the city and not to head to the airport directly.