Awantipora airport shut for public till Sep 16

Nishwan Rasool:
Srinagar, September 13: In the wake of current unrest in Kashmir, the airport authorities on Monday decided to stop the flight operations to and from the Valley till September 16. The decision of Airport authorities to stop civil air traffic service has caused a serious concern among passengers with official sources putting the number of stranded passengers at 500 at the Awantipora Airport.

Official sources disclosed, “We have cancelled every flight at Awantipora Airport due to this ongoing agitation in the Valley. It is all for the safety of our esteemed customers.”

While talking to Kashmir Dispatch, Mudasir Nazir, a passenger who is studying in Jamia Millia said, "I was supposed to leave to Delhi as my internal exams are going to start from day after tomorrow."

This has also hit travel agents very hard. "My 50 tickets were cancelled due to prevailing circumstances in these two days. It is a big loss to our business sector," said Abid Hussain, owner of a travel agency.

Sameen, a Srinagar based B.V.S.C student from Pakistan whose ticket was also cancelled said, "My practicals and viva examinations are starting in a couple of days. We have been handed a notification from the college authorities to come two days before the examinations. But now I’ll have to re-appear for my examination.”