Sanjeev Arora’s empty seat on flight: The ironic reality behind Halwara Airport’s historic first flight
Babushahi Bureau
Chandigarh/Ludhiana, May 16, 2026: Just weeks ago, Punjab Industries and Commerce Minister Sanjeev Arora was celebrating what many called the biggest achievement of his public life — the operationalisation of the long-delayed Halwara Airport near Ludhiana after nearly 30 years of waiting.
On Friday, as the first commercial Air India flight landed at Halwara Airport from Delhi, Arora — who had personally booked the inaugural ticket for the historic journey with his wife — was missing from the passenger list, sitting instead in Enforcement Directorate custody following his arrest in a money laundering case linked to an alleged GST fraud.
The contrast has triggered intense discussion in Punjab’s political and business circles, with many recalling how closely Arora had associated himself with the Halwara Airport project over the past several years.
As former Rajya Sabha MP and later Cabinet Minister, Arora persistently pursued the airport issue with the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Airports Authority of India, the Indian Air Force and airline operators.
Officials and industry representatives had often credited him with pushing the project through bureaucratic hurdles that had stalled progress for decades.
From securing clearances and coordinating with Air India officials to conducting site reviews and facilitating infrastructure support, Arora remained publicly involved at nearly every stage of the project. In April this year, he had proudly announced that he and his wife had booked seats on the first Delhi-Halwara commercial flight scheduled for May 15.
However, events took a dramatic turn on May 9 when the Enforcement Directorate arrested the minister under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act in connection with an alleged Rs 100-crore GST-linked money laundering case.
Arora later moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court challenging his arrest as “illegal and unconstitutional.” His petition questioned the legality of the arrest and alleged violation of constitutional safeguards.
Meanwhile, the inaugural Delhi-Halwara flight landed on Friday morning carrying Union Minister of State for Railways Ravneet Singh Bittu, Rajya Sabha MPs Vikramjit Singh Sahney and Rajinder Gupta along with other passengers.
The launch of commercial operations at Halwara Airport is expected to significantly benefit Ludhiana’s industrial and export sectors by improving regional air connectivity with Delhi and other cities.
Yet, the historic day also carried an unmistakable irony — the politician who had invested years in getting Halwara Airport operational could not board the very first flight he had once hoped to celebrate onboard.