Aujla noted that he has received numerous of pleas from the worried families across Punjab. The families are requesting urgent government intervention to ensure their loved ones return safely.
Amidst rising tensions in the Middle East, Amritsar MP Gurjeet Singh Aujla has come ahead with an appeal to the authorities in support of hundreds of Punjabis currently stranded in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). He formally wrote a letter to the Union Aviation Minister, Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, urging the immediate arrangement of special direct flights to bring Indian nationals back to Amritsar.
Aujla noted that he has received numerous of pleas from the worried families across Punjab. The families are requesting urgent government intervention to ensure their loved ones return safely.
According to the MP, those who are currently stuck in the UAE include all; elderly citizens, women, and young children. Many are tourists or transit passengers who never intended to stay this long and are now facing significant challenges.
“Many of them are facing extended stays, financial hardship, health-related concerns, and emotional distress due to the uncertainty of the situation,” Aujla highlighted in his communication to the Ministry.
The Case for Direct Flights to Amritsar
MP Aujla reportedly asks the Indian government to arrange airlines like Air India and IndiGo to fly people straight to Amritsar instead of making them stop in big cities like Delhi first.
He pointed out that international airlines like Emirates and Etihad are already doing this to help out. Aujla believes Indian airlines have plenty of planes and staff to do the same. He argues that if the Indian and UAE governments work together, they can get the paperwork done quickly and get these rescue flights moving.
Easing the Burden on Major Hubs
Beyond just the convenience for Punjabi travelers, Aujla argued that direct flights to Amritsar make sense from a logistics perspective.
“Direct connectivity to Amritsar would ensure swift and dignified repatriation of passengers without the burden of additional domestic connections,” he stated. He further explained that this move would help reduce heavy congestion at India’s major metropolitan airports, like Delhi and Mumbai, and allow for a more efficient use of available airline resources during this emergency.
As the conflict in the Middle East continues to create uncertainty for international travel, all eyes are now on the Civil Aviation Ministry to see if they will greenlight these special operations to bring the stranded residents home.
