Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has requested Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, to expedite various matters concerning the civil aviation sector in Himachal Pradesh.
Referring to his recent meeting with the Union Minister during his visit to New Delhi, the Chief Minister, in a written communiqué on Wednesday, stated that the state needs to acquire approximately 150 hectares of land for the proposed expansion of Kangra Airport.
He added that the state government has already initiated the acquisition process, with awards worth over ₹1,900 crore ready and ₹410 crore already disbursed.
As the statutory stipulated period of one year ends in August this year, Sukhu urged the Ministry of Civil Aviation to recommend the project to the Ministry of Finance and the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) for Special Central Assistance.
He also requested that the Techno-Economic Feasibility Report of Kangra Airport, prepared by WAPCOS Ltd, be reviewed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to arrive at a realistic cost assessment, as the current estimates appear to be on the higher side.
Additionally, he suggested exploring the possibility of a tripartite agreement involving AAI, the Himachal Pradesh government, and a private partner for the expansion of Kangra Airport.
“Kangra Airport currently operates under Visual Flight Rules (VFR), which require a minimum visibility of 5 kilometers for flight operations,” he noted, and urged provisions for the introduction of Special VFR operations, which would reduce the visibility requirement to 2.5 kilometers and enable flight operations during low visibility conditions.
The Chief Minister emphasized that since Kangra Airport is the largest and busiest in the state, it should be equipped with night landing facilities.
He also requested the deployment of Himachal Pradesh State Police for airport security at Kullu and Shimla airports, similar to the arrangement at Kangra Airport, in place of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
Further, Sukhu urged that watch hours at Shimla Airport be extended from 1:00 PM to 4 PM to provide a wider window for flight operations.
He requested the provision of a second apron at Shimla Airport, suitable for ATR 42/600-type aircraft operations, which would help increase flight frequency and support multiple operations from the airport.
He also asked for the resumption of daily flight operations on the Shimla-Dharamshala-Shimla sector by Alliance Air Ltd. The Chief Minister called for operational authorization of heliports at Sanjauli, Rampur, Baddi, and Kangnidhar by October 2025.
He further stated that four additional heliports under RCS UDAN Phase-2 are proposed for the state—at Jaskot in Hamirpur, Dehra in Kangra, and one each in Una and Bilaspur districts—to enhance air connectivity.
He mentioned that air operators such as Heritage Aviation, Global Vectra, and Pawan Hans Ltd will be directed to begin operations on their respective routes under the RCS UDAN scheme.
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