E-Paper
AAI revises upgrade plan for Kangra airport, proposes 3km runway
The existing airstrip at Gaggal Airport is 1370m long
In a fresh draft plan for the expansion of Kangra Airport, Gaggal, the Airport Authority of India (AAI) has proposed to increase the runway length to 3,010m.
Initially, the plan was to increase the runway length to 1,920m. The state government gave in-principle approval for the expansion of the airport but the draft was rejected on technical grounds.
A fresh draft submitted in July proposed to increase runway length up to 2,050m. The plan was revised in November again and the runway length was revised to 2,450m.
The existing airstrip at Gaggal Airport is 1370m long.
In a recent visit to the airport, the AAI team inspected the land and submitted a new feasibility report with revised runway length.Kangra deputy commissioner Rakesh Kumar Prajapati said, “Now the administration will have to carry out an exercise to assess the requirement of land. “We will identify the land for expansion and then send a new proposal to the state government that will issue a fresh notification for land acquisition.”
Earlier, the district administration had identified about 40 hectares of private land in four panchayats of Shahpur and Kangra.
Now that the runway length may increase by an additional 560 metres, more panchayats of the two assembly segments will be affected.
LAND ACQUISITION THROUGH NEGOTIATION
The state government has formed a panel that will negotiate with the landowners whose land will be acquired for expansion and try to reach a consensus regarding the price.
Prajapati, who heads the committee, said, “The negotiation committee will initiate negotiations once the government issues a fresh notification for land acquisition.”
HIGH AIRFARE
The airport receives at least four flights a day. Air India, its domestic arm Alliance Air, and private airliner Spicejet operate flights to Gaggal. The other two airports in the state are in Shimla and Kullu.
After the expansion, bigger planes such as Airbus 320, which will have the capacity to seat 180, will be able to land at the airport.At present, the airlines operate ATR-72 aircraft to Gaggal, which has a capacity of 75 to 80 seats. However, the passenger’s number is kept around 50-55, due to the short runway.
Airfares for the Dharamshala-Delhi route are among the highest. A one-way ticket costs around ₹ 6,000 to ₹ 12,000. The prices may go as high as ₹ 21,000.
,
