Union Home Minister Amit Shah flags off Srinagar-Sharjah direct flight

Srinagar, Oct 23: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday inaugurated the flagged off Srinagar-Sharjah international flight from Sheikh Ul-Alam International Airport.

The flight G8 1595 departed from Srinagar's Sheikh ul-Alam International Airport around 6.30 pm and scheduled to land in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) around 9 pm IST. The Union Home Minister virtually flagged off the flight from Raj Bhawan, thus reviving the direct airlink between Srinagar and the UAE after 11 years.

In 2009, the first international flight from the Srinagar to Dubai was started by Air India Express, but the once-a-week service was discontinued due to low demand.

"We declare it open from today. This will help in boosting tourism and bring more investment in the Union Territory," Amit Shah said.

Go First, which is run by Wadia group, commenced its direct passenger services to Sharjah in the UAE from Srinagar, thereby becoming the first domestic carrier to provide direct international connectivity from Jammu & Kashmir.

In a press release, Go First said that it will operate four flights every week between Srinagar and Sharjah, and the direct flight on the new route is expected to boost trade and tourism between Srinagar and the UAE while meeting the demand for convenient travel options between the two places.

"Having been in operations here for over 15 years, the airline shares a special relationship with the region and is committed to its growth. We are delighted to be the first airline to connect Jammu & Kashmir with the UAE and it bears testimony to our commitment to the region," said Kaushik Khona, Chief Executive Officer, Go First.

The airline is offering a special ticket price of Rs 5,000 on the flight to Sharjah. With inputs from PTI