India, Feb. 10 -- Seeking to transform the Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport into a major global gateway, Rajya Sabha member Satnam Singh Sandhu on Tuesday urged the Union government to designate the airport as a point of call.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour, Sandhu emphasised that this designation is a vital prerequisite for foreign carriers to operate international flights from Chandigarh.

The MP underscored the pressing need for direct air connectivity to London, Vancouver, and Singapore to serve the Punjabi diaspora and local travellers. At present, the airport only operates flights to Dubai and Abu Dhabi via a domestic carrier.

Sandhu said that the airport serves a combined population of nearly 7 crore across Punjab, ...