Ludhiana, May 16 -- Ending a wait of nearly three decades, the first commercial flight from Delhi landed at the newly operational Halwara Civil Terminal near Ludhiana on Friday morning, marking the formal beginning of passenger operations at Punjab's much-anticipated aviation project. The inaugural Air India flight touched down at 7:05am carrying 60 passengers, including Union minister of state for railways Ravneet Singh Bittu and Rajya Sabha members Vikramjit Singh Sahney and Rajinder Gupta. The delegation, alongside various BJP leaders, had travelled to Delhi on Thursday specifically to experience the maiden return flight to Ludhiana. The arrival turned into a high-profile celebratory moment for the BJP. In a video message recorded mid-flight, Bittu described the launch as a "historic milestone," crediting Prime Minister Narendra Modi for fulfilling a long-standing regional demand. Posting on X, he noted that "Ludhiana takes flight," emphasising the airport's potential to boost trade and industrial growth in Punjab's manufacturing hub. However, the event carried heavy political overtones as the ruling AAP government remained largely absent. This follows the recent arrest of industry and commerce minister Sanjeev Arora by the Enforcement Directorate. Arora, who had been a vocal proponent of the Halwara project for years, was originally slated to be on the flight but remains in ED custody. While the authorities had planned a traditional water cannon salute to greet the aircraft, the ceremony was abruptly cancelled due to security clearance issues from the Indian Air Force, as the terminal is an expansion of the existing IAF base. Jagir Singh, the chief executive officer of the Halwara airport, said that security concerns necessitated dropping the salute. Instead, passengers were greeted with traditional Punjabi folk music and dance arranged by the district administration. The Delhi-Halwara route will now operate twice daily. The morning service leaves Delhi at 5:55am, reaching Halwara at 7:05am, with the return leg departing at 7:55am. The afternoon flight departs the capital at 12:55pm, landing at 2:10pm, before heading back at 2:40pm....