Chandigarh, March 31: This sleepy city airport handled an unprecedented rush of 120 flights on Wednesday as politicos, dignitaries, top corporates and glitterati streamed in from across the country to catch the World Cup semifinal action, reports Times of India. The first of the VVIP planes touched down around 6am and the landings continued till 2.30pm.
Air traffic controllers couldn't take their eyes off radar screens as 98 aircraft — VVIP, chartered planes and routine commercial flights — touched down and flew out in a space of eight-and-a-half hours.
Chandigarh has an Air Force-controlled airport and Captain H S Toor, the director, said the airport had handled a record number of take-offs and landings till Wednesday late night.
Most of the chartered planes that touched down, barring the VVIP Pakistan International Airlines and Air India flights were diverted to Delhi for parking. Only three aircraft were parked at Amritsar. Sunil Dutt, director of Amritsar airport, said he had permitted 20 chartered planes to park. But only three flew in.
Prominent among those who took special flights to Chandigarh were Bollywood personalities Aamir Khan, Suniel Shetty, Preity Zinta, Vivek Oberoi, Madhur Bhandarkar, Fardeen Khan, Kiran Rao, Arbaaz Khan, Shakti Kapoor and Daler Mehandi.
Shetty, Oberoi, Arbaaz and Aamir Khan were the early birds. Donning a blue T-shirt and jeans, Aamir sported his new handlebar moustache and came with wife Kiran Rao.
Zinta landed last around 2.15pm. She came in a special plane with Mukesh Ambani and family. The Ambanis came with big national flags and cricket gear.
A large crowd had gathered outside the Chandigarh airport hoping to catch a glimpse of the glitterati at the airport gates. But the biggies who landed after 2pm didn't have to encounter the cheering crowd as most of them had left for the stadium.
Other prominent personalities who flew in were Bombay Dyeing scion Ness Wadia, business tycoon Vijay Mallya, Union ministers Sharad Pawar and Prafful Patel and ICC director Ratnakar Shetty.
