Chandigarh, Oct. 13 -- Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport will not see any new international flights this year too even as both Air India and IndiGo had promised direct flights to Singapore last October. Airport officials confirmed that no new flights have been included in the upcoming winter schedule, set to be implemented from November 8. 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. Though the winter schedule kicks off on October 27 each year, this time, the airport will remain closed for civil flights from October 26 to November 7 due to runway repairs. Domestic connectivity will, however, see some expansion. IndiGo will add a direct flight to Kolkata from November 8, and operate a daily flight to Leh. As of now, only Air India operates flights to Leh and that too just twice a week. IndiGo has, however, decided to discontinue its Jammu flight. In all, 33 flights will depart and 34 will arrive at the airport on a daily basis. On international connectivity, a senior airport official said, "Besides Singapore, we are also exploring international routes to cities like London and Istanbul from Chandigarh. A key hurdle remains the issue of granting Chandigarh a "point-of-call status," which allows foreign airlines to operate regular international services under bilateral agreements between countries." The official further said the matter was recently taken up at a meeting in Kolkata and discussed at the Airport Advisory Committee. Efforts are also underway at the political-level, with the chief ministers of Punjab and Haryana, as well as Chandigarh's Member of Parliament Manish Tewari urging the Centre to approve Chandigarh as a point of call. Industrialist and former president of Mohali Industries Association, Anurag Aggarwal expressed frustration over the lack of vision in planning international connectivity. "Experts suggest adding international flights to cities like Doha, Qatar, Sri Lanka, and Istanbul, but what about onward connectivity from those destinations?" he questioned. He added that the lack of direct international flights from Chandigarh results in unnecessary travel costs and time for families and businesses. "Thousands of people are forced to drive to Delhi airport, a journey of up to seven hours, causing daily congestion on the Chandigarh-Delhi highway. Over 5,000 vehicles travel on this route daily for airport access alone," he said. Moreover, all export-import cargo continues to be routed through Delhi, leading to increased transportation costs for regional industries. Handling over 10,000 passengers daily, Chandigarh Airport serves as a vital hub for the tricity region, connecting it to key domestic cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, and Chennai. To boost international air traffic, Chandigarh International Airport Limited (CHIAL) had last month drafted a policy to attracting foreign airlines. The proposal offered substantial incentives, such as waivers on night parking, landing charges, airport fees, and cargo-handling costs, along with marketing support. CHIAL CEO Ajay Verma said the policy could reduce operational expenses for foreign carriers by Rs.1 to Rs.1.5 crore per month....