Ludhiana-Delhi Flight Fails to Gain Buzz Ahead of Launch; Many Seats Still Vacant Before Service Starts on May 15

Flight operations from Ludhiana’s Halwara Airport to Delhi are set to commence on May 15; however, sluggish initial bookings have raised concerns for Air India. Nevertheless, the airline remains optimistic that passenger numbers will increase in the future.

Ludhiana Airport News: Flight services from Halwara Airport in Ludhiana, Punjab, to Delhi are scheduled to begin on May 15. However, booking statistics—even before the flights have taken off—appear to be a cause for concern for the airline.

Air India opened the booking window for these flights approximately one month ago. It has now been one month and ten days since bookings began, yet less than one-third of the seats on the Delhi-Ludhiana and Ludhiana-Delhi routes have been successfully booked. Conversely, the airline remains hopeful that passenger volume will pick up once the service is fully operational.

Low Bookings for Initial Flights

According to reports, the aircraft—which has a total capacity of 156 seats—offers 138 seats for passengers, while the remaining seats are reserved. For the inaugural flight from Delhi to Ludhiana, scheduled to depart on May 15, only 47 seats had been booked as of Sunday morning. It is reported that the majority of these bookings have been made by local politicians and special guests from Ludhiana.

On the other hand, the first flight from Ludhiana to Delhi—scheduled to depart at 7:55 AM—has seen only 34 seats booked so far. This accounts for merely 25 percent of the total available seats. The booking status for flights scheduled in the coming days is reported to be even more dismal.

Air India Anticipates Growth

Air India opened the booking window for this route on April 1. With only five days remaining until the launch of the service, not even 33 percent of the seats have been booked yet. According to airline officials, while the initial response may be subdued at present, bookings are expected to rise once the public begins to experience the benefits of a regular flight service. Prior to the commencement of flights, Air India held a meeting with entrepreneurs from Ludhiana, who assured the airline that the service would prove successful in the long run.

138 Passenger Seats on the 156-Seater Aircraft

According to the seat configuration released by Air India, the aircraft has a total of 156 seats, 138 of which are designated for passengers. Twelve seats are complimentary, while others are reserved for staff. Six seats featuring extra legroom are included in the seat inventory available for booking. Of these, five seats have already been booked for the inaugural flight from Delhi to Ludhiana. The fare for the Delhi-Ludhiana and Ludhiana-Delhi sectors is currently listed at ₹4,294.