Mohali, Jan. 2 -- In a bid to enhance air connectivity and attract airlines to operate new domestic and international routes, the Chandigarh International Airport Limited (CHIAL) on Thursday launched a new incentive scheme offering financial benefits and operational relaxations. Under the scheme, airlines starting new or unserved international routes from Shaheed Bhagat Singh International (SBSI) Airport, Mohali, will receive an incentive of Rs.750 per embarking passenger, while those launching new domestic routes will get Rs.300 per embarking passenger, excluding GST. "The incentives will be paid annually based on eligible passenger traffic," CHIAL chief executive officer Ajay Verma said. To further reduce operating costs for airlines, CHIAL has waived night parking charges for flights operating between 10 pm and 6 am, subject to the availability of parking bays. The airport authority has also relaxed security deposit norms to lower the upfront financial burden on airlines. CHIAL has written to major domestic carriers, including Air India, IndiGo, Air India Express, Alliance Air, SpiceJet, Akasa Air and Star Air, as well as upcoming airlines such as Shankh Air, Alhind Air and Fly Express, inviting them to avail the scheme and commence operations on new and unserved routes. Verma said there was a strong demand from passengers and trade bodies for improved connectivity from Chandigarh. "Several federations, trade bodies and residents have consistently requested enhanced flight connectivity, especially to major domestic destinations such as Trivandrum and Kochi in the southern region; Amritsar, Kullu, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Jaisalmer, Prayagraj, Ayodhya and Jammu in the north; Nagpur, Vadodara, Surat, Nanded and Nashik in the west; Guwahati and Bagdogra in the northeast; and Raipur, Bhubaneswar and Ranchi in the eastern region," Verma said. He added that there was also strong demand for international flights to destinations such as Singapore, Bangkok, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Nepal, London and Canada, apart from other global hubs. Currently, the airport, which began round-the-clock operations in April 2019, operates only two international flights -to Dubai and Abu Dhabi- alongside 56 domestic flights to major Indian cities. Verma further said, "The scheme is especially launched for Indian carriers, as they are allowed to operate both domestic and international flights from Chandigarh, including new and unserved international routes. Only international carriers require permission from the government of India, to operate to or from Chandigarh. We are hoping for a positive response from the Indian carriers for new routes." The lack of Point of Call (PoC) status continues to be a major bottleneck for Chandigarh airport. Without PoC under India's bilateral aviation agreements, foreign carriers cannot launch scheduled flights directly from Chandigarh. Chandigarh MP Manish Tewari has written multiple times to the ministry of civil aviation and Airports Authority of India (AAI), urging them to grant PoC status so the airport can genuinely function as an international gateway. A planned Chandigarh-Singapore service by IndiGo that was expected to be part of the winter schedule starting October 29 also failed to materialise due to technical issues. A senior official from an Indian carrier said, "With Delhi and Amritsar airport operating a wide range of domestic and international flights, airlines estimate that it is not feasible and viable to operate from another city. Also, the Chandigarh airport has only one runway and lacks facilities to operate in dense fog. However, airlines are in dialogue with airport authorities and are trying to start new routes soon."...