National carrier Air India has painted the Sikh symbol “Ik Onkar” on one of its Boeing 787 Dreamliner to mark the 550th birthday of Guru Nanak.
On Monday the chief minister of Punjab Captain Amarinder Singh tweeted photos of the aircraft and appreciated Air India’s move.
He said in his twitter account, “Heartwarming to see Ik Onkar’ painted on the tail of Air India’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner as part of the historic celebrations on the 550th Prakash Purb of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji.”
The special gesture comes a day after the state-run airline launched a direct flight from Amritsar to Patna on 27th October to mark the occasion.
Ek Onkar means “God is One”. The symbol is an emblem of the Sikh religion and is found on Gurdwaras (Sikh temples) around the world.
Boeing 787 Dreamliner planes are among the top end models flown by Air India and are used on long-haul routes.
Air India CMD Ashwani Lohani said that there was a demand to launch a direct flight from Amritsar to London and it was a good occasion to launch it on the 550th Guru Purab.
“We realised that the exterior of a flight is unique and it can be used to promote tourism. We are celebrating 550th Guru Purab with the painting of ‘Ek Onkar’ which means ‘The God is One’ painting on the aircraft’s tail. Our flights are flying around the world and India’s message should reach maximum places. This is the reason behind this move,” he said.
“We are going to launch a fight directly from Amritsar to the UK on October 31. We are getting a good response from passengers and the load factor on this route is also good. The first flight from Amritsar to Stansted (UK) is almost full,” he added.
