Ludhiana: A fierce “credit war” has broken out between major parties over the long-awaited commencement of flight operations at Halwara Airport, even as residents want them to stop “politicking” and start the engines.The dispute reached a fever pitch on Wednesday as bigwigs from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) took to social media to claim ownership of the project, which has been 30 years in the making. The friction intensified when Punjab ninister Sanjeev Arora (AAP) announced that bookings would open within minutes for two Air India flights scheduled to begin May 15. “The wait is over, finally,” Arora posted, describing the milestone as a “long-pending dream” realised through years of consistent effort.Less than two hours later, Union minister of state for railways, Ravneet Singh Bittu (BJP), issued a competing statement. Sharing specific flight details, including a travel time of 70 minutes to Delhi, Bittu framed the development as a testament to the “vision and commitment” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.A History of FrictionThis is not the first time the two ministers have sparred over the tarmac. On Sunday, Bittu claimed that 160-seater A320 aircraft would begin morning and afternoon rotations in mid-May. The AAP administration was quick to fire back via the district public relations office, labelling rivals as “opportunists” who were merely repeating information Arora had already placed in the public domain. The official statement included a detailed “chronology of interventions” to bolster Arora’s claim as the project’s primary architect.Adding to the fray, Congress MP Amar Singh, whose Fatehgarh Sahib constituency encompasses the airport, dismissed the row as mere political theatre. Amar Singh noted he had been pursuing the project since 2018 and had raised the matter recently during a starred question session in the Lok Sabha.Residents Call for ResultsWhile politicians trade barbs over who deserves the most praise, local business owners and residents remain sceptical. “We are more concerned about the flights’ actually starting,” said one resident, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “It doesn’t matter to us who gets it started; we just need the connectivity.” The airport, which saw its infrastructure completed in late 2025 and which the PM inaugurated virtually in Feb, represents a critical economic link for Ludhiana’s industrial hub.
