SHIMLA, July 24 — Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has written to Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu seeking special financial assistance for the expansion of Kangra airport and fast-tracking of civil aviation projects in the state.
In his letter, Sukhu requested that the Central Government recommend the Kangra airport expansion project to the Finance Ministry and the Prime Minister’s Office for urgent funding. He said the state was acquiring 150 hectares of land for the expansion, with an award exceeding ₹1,900 crore already prepared and ₹410 crore disbursed.
The Chief Minister also called on the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to re-evaluate the techno-economic feasibility report prepared by WAPCOS Ltd, stating the current estimate was on the higher side. He proposed exploring a tripartite partnership between the AAI, the state government, and a private partner to fund the project.
Highlighting the airport’s limitations, Sukhu requested the introduction of Special Visual Flight Rules (VFR) to allow operations in reduced visibility, and urged installation of night landing facilities. Kangra airport, he said, is the state’s busiest and should be upgraded accordingly.
He also pushed for extending flight operation hours at Shimla airport from 1 pm to 4 pm, and for allowing Himachal Police to manage security at Kullu and Shimla airports, in line with current practice at Kangra.
Seeking to boost regional air connectivity, Sukhu requested the operationalisation of heliports at Sanjauli, Rampur, Baddi, and Kangnidhar by October. He said four more heliports — at Jaskot (Hamirpur), Dehra (Kangra), Una, and Bilaspur — were being sanctioned under UDAN Phase-2, with Heritage Aviation, Global Vectra, and Pawan Hans lined up to operate flights on these routes.
He also sought immediate resumption of daily flights on the Shimla–Dharamsala–Shimla route.
