Advocacy group citing desperate need pushes for direct flights between Canada and Punjab, India

A group advocating for direct flights between Canada and the northwestern Indian city of Amritsar says a recent air transport agreement between the two countries should have included a direct flight to the state of Punjab — which has been desperately needed for years. Amritsar is the centre of Sikhism and the site of the Sikhs' principal place of worship — the Harmandir Sahib or Golden Temple. An Open Skies agreement between India and Canada was signed last month, allowing unlimited flights to India. Under the new agreement, Canadian airlines can fly to Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai and Kolkata — without restriction. Previously, only 35 flights were allowed per week. Indian airlines are free to fly to Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Edmonton and two other cities of their choice. Mohit Dhanju, a spokesperson for the FlyAmristar Initiative, says most of the six cities in the new agreement are located in central and southern India, which means travellers will need to wait about seven hours in Delhi to take a connecting flight to Amritsar or drive approximately eight to 10 hours to northern India. "It's the 21st century. People shouldn't be spending so much time travelling. You take a 14-hour flight to Delhi, and then you have to make a 10-hour road trip. It doesn't make any sense."<br/>