On April 6, Neos Airline began service between Toronto and Sri Guru Ram Das Jee International Airport in Amritsar. The Italian airline will run a direct trip from Amritsar to Toronto, Canada, using Milan Malpensa Airport as its base. Neos Airline CEO Stradiotti said during a press conference that the trip would operate once weekly on Thursdays and will include a brief stopover in Milan, Italy.
The CEO also said that when more flights are added, it will depend on how customers react when the service is first introduced to them. Anantdeep Singh Dhillon, the organizer of the North America for Fly Amritsar Project, and Harjap Singh Aujla, the leader of Amritsar Vikas Manch, said that the one-stop service provided by Neos Airline between Amritsar and Toronto through Milan will promote the growth of the local economy. They said that it will not only help the populace but also provide new prospects for farmers to export their goods directly from Amritsar rather than through Delhi.
The flight itinerary states that every Thursday at 3:15 am, Neos Airline’s flight No. 3249 would depart from Amritsar and arrive at Milan Malpensa airport at 8:20 am (local time). Flight No. 4348 will then depart Milan at 12:30 and arrive in Toronto at 3 pm following a 4hr 10m transit stopover.
Every Thursday at 5:00 pm, Neos Airline’s flight No. 4349 will depart from Toronto Pearson Airport and arrive in Milan the following morning at 6:50 am. The aircraft will then take off from Milan at 10:00 am and land in Amritsar at 9:15 pm the same day, on Friday. This practically corresponds to a quick travel time via Milan of 3 hours and 10 minutes.
The introduction of Neos Airline’s nonstop service from Amritsar to Toronto has generated unprecedented levels of enthusiasm among regional NGOs and Canada’s enormous Punjabi community. Until to now, traveling by plane from Punjab to Toronto required many stops, which was incredibly tiresome. One of the biggest Indian diasporas exists in Canada, with 80% of its members hailing from the Punjab state.
There are reportedly up to 1 million Punjabis living in Canada, making up close to 3% of the population. Hence, the introduction of a nonstop service between Amritsar and Toronto is a huge event.