Chandigarh, Feb. 11 -- 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. A point-of-call status allows foreign airlines to operate regular international services under bilateral agreements between countries. 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, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh. "While the facility is equipped to handle 60 lakh passengers annually, it currently caters to 40 lakh, leaving significant room for expansion," Sandhu said. Acknowledging the aviation sector's growth under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, noting the rise from 74 airports in 2014 to over 163 today, Sandhu praised the recent naming of Adampur airport after Guru Ravidas and the inauguration of the Halwara airport. However, he remarked that "Punjabis ka dil maange more," calling for increased flight frequencies and enhanced cargo capacity at both Chandigarh and Amritsar airports to bolster the state's export potential. Even last year, Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari also took up the issue of international flights in the Lok Sabha and demanded that the Chandigarh airport be designated as a point of call. Last year, in July, a parliamentary standing committee noted that Indian airlines enjoy fewer points of call abroad compared to international carriers operating in India....