Tag Archives: Shimla

Amidst escalating tensions between India and Pakistan, Air Canada temporarily suspended its flight services to India, following a decision by the Pakistan government to close its airspace. Air Canada cancelled one flight to Delhi from Vancouver, while another flight en-route to India returned to Toronto. Qatar Airways issued a statement asserting that due to the ongoing situation between India and Pakistan, its flight over the airspace of these two countries may experience delays due to rerouting. While Vistara issued a statement about the cancellations of flights on Amritsar, Srinagar, Chandigarh and Jammu; Singapore Airlines also released a statement about its flight delays. A Dubai-bound Jet Airways was asked by Pakistan ATC to return to Delhi. Flight operations across eight airports in Amritsar, Pathankot, Srinagar, Jammu, Shimla, Dharamshala, Kullu and Leh were shut briefly. However, the airports got operational after a few hours. As many as 47 flights were cancelled from Delhi airport, 25 were departures and 22 arrivals. Also, eight arrivals and eight departure flights were cancelled from the Mumbai Airport. Source: ANI  

The Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) is introducing the iconic Taj brand in Himachal Pradesh with the opening of Taj Theog Resort & Spa, Shimla. Puneet Chhatwal, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, IHCL, said, “We are delighted to open our first hotel in Himachal Pradesh. This will be the company’s first mountain resort. With this new addition, we have expanded our resort portfolio which is the largest in India. The state has great tourism potential and we look forward to expanding our footprint to showcase the pristine beauty of this region.” Nestled amidst thick Cedar forests and spread over five acres, every nook and corner of the hotel offers mesmerising views of the mighty Himalayas. Taj Theog Resort & Spa’s design and architecture echoes colonial charm reminiscent of hill station appeal. Each of the 99 rooms, with warm wooden furniture, traditional rugs and tall French windows offer spacious balconies overlooking snow peaks and quaint villages. “Taj Theog Resort & Spa is a sanctuary amidst conifers, cedars and tiny hamlets with the stunning skyline of the Himalayan range as a backdrop. It serves as an ideal location for guests seeking a mix of adventure and relaxation coupled with Taj’s legendary service.” said Naveen Barthwal, General Manager, Taj Theog Resort & Spa, Shimla. Guests have a choice of distinctive culinary options which include an all-day diner – Tragopan that offers the robust Pahari cuisine along with global cuisines and comfort food; Peony, the oriental restaurant offers Sichuan and Cantonese cuisines.

The Global Panorama Showcase (GPS) in Chandigarh recorded around 400 attendees on the first day. Attendees engaged with the exhibitors during B2B sessions on an activity-filled day. Harmandeep Singh Anand, Managing Director, GPS, said, “With our third year of GPS Chandigarh, we are bringing in new products to bring awareness amongst the attendees coming from Karnal, Jalandar, Ludhiana, Solan, Shimla, Jaipur, Ambala, Ferozpur, etc.” Charanjiv Singh Bachhar, Deputy Head of Mission, British Deputy High Commission Chandigarh, who presided over as the chief guest, said, “GPS in Chandigarh caters to the entire northern region like Punjab, Haryana and the hill states. The show also adds to the awareness of people travelling to the UK. We hope to see more such events in Chandigarh and the surrounding areas.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched UDAN – the Regional Connectivity Scheme for civil aviation, from Shimla Airport. Under this scheme, flights have begun today from Shimla, Nanded and Kadapa airports. The Shimla-Delhi flight will be operated by Air India, which opened the bookings for the same on Tuesday with all-inclusive fares starting at Rs 2,036. The Prime Minister addressed the gathering at Shimla Airport, and also at Nanded and Kadapa via video link. He said that with this launch dreams of middle class will take flight. “The lives of the middle class are being transformed and their aspirations are increasing. Earlier, aviation was considered to be the domain of a select few. That has changed now,” he said.

Air India will connect Pune to Chandigarh for the first time with a direct flight from January 16, 2017. This new flight is yet another move to promote regional connectivity by the national carrier. The flight, AI 813 will take off from Chandigarh at 1050 hrs and arrive in Pune at 1320 hrs. The return flight AI 814 from Pune will depart at 1400 hrs and land in Chandigarh at 1630 hrs on all days except Saturday and Sunday. The non-stop flight will operate with an Airbus A-320 aircraft on the Pune-Chandigarh-Pune route. It will provide a much needed connectivity between the two cities and will help to promote industrial development and at the same time also give a fillip to tourism as passengers can avail of good connectivity to holiday destinations such as Kulu, Shimla and Manali in the north and Lonavala and Shirdi near Pune.