People going abroad from Punjab and Haryana need not catch flights from Delhi, as Chandigarh airport will be upgraded to an international airport. The first flight for Dubai will take off during end of July.

Sunil Dutt, director of Chandigarh airport, said that they have got confirmation from Fly Dubai. They have got permission from the union civil aviation ministry to fly a daily direct flight to Dubai from Chandigarh.

The ticket will be priced at Rs 3500-3600 as an introductory offer. The price would be increased in due course of time as the rates cannot stay at Rs 3500. Fly Dubai is a low-cost carrier of Emirates Airlines.

Chandigarh International Airport will replace the old domestic Chandigarh airport as the region's second international airport after the Raja Sansi International Airport in Amritsar.

The new airport is likely to give a big boost to the region's economy and facilitate travel for a large number of non-resident Indians (NRIs), who currently use New Delhi's Indira Gandhi international airport. It would largely serve the international passengers from the states of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.

The international airport is being extended on 306 acres of land in Jheorehri village, near Mohali, and its construction work is going on for the last many months.

Gagan Malik, construction in-charge of the new building of Chandigarh International Airport said that the airport would be air-conditioned with escalators and facilities for people with disabilities. The building can accommodate only 100 passengers at present. But the new building can accommodate up to 400 passengers.