In a major push to expand air connectivity, Ladakh will soon have two more airports operating civilian and commercial flights in addition to Leh. These flights will operate from Thoise airport in Nubra Valley and Kargil airport, Ladakh lieutenant governor Vinai Kumar Saxena said on Saturday.
Saxena chaired a meeting with officials from the Union ministry of defence, Indian Air Force (IAF), Airports Authority of India (AAI) and UT Ladakh administration, at Ladakh Bhavan in New Delhi, to review the preparedness for commercial civil flight operations from Thoise Airport in Nubra Valley and Kargil Airport.
The meeting focused on resolving infrastructure, regulatory and operational issues to enable early commencement of civilian flights from the strategically and socio-economically important airports, which will significantly boost regional connectivity in the border areas.
Officials said that during the meeting, the LG emphasised the time-bound operationalisation of the two airports.
“The flight operations at Thoise and Kargil, apart from fulfilling Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of enhanced regional connectivity and inclusive development of Ladakh, would also unlock the immense tourism potential in border areas like Kargil, Drass, Turtuk, and Siachen Base Camp,” the official spokesman said, adding that the key outcomes are the IAF approved allotment of five acres of land for construction of a new civil terminal in Nubra.
“Runway re-carpeting is underway with a completion deadline in November. We are targeting the commencement of civil operations by December 2026 from a refurbished, old chartered flight terminal at Thoise Airport,” said officials.
{{/usCountry}}“Runway re-carpeting is underway with a completion deadline in November. We are targeting the commencement of civil operations by December 2026 from a refurbished, old chartered flight terminal at Thoise Airport,” said officials.
{{/usCountry}}The spokesman said that from Kargil Airport it was decided to conduct a joint inspection with the IAF, AAI and Union ministry of civil aviation on September 1, in the presence of LG to assess civil operation readiness.
“For commencing commercial flights from the existing chartered terminal at Thoise, the LG asked the AAI to submit the requisite infrastructure requirements to the UT administration, based on which the public works department will take up the necessary refurbishment works,” the official said,
He said that commercial flight operations are expected to provide greater accessibility to residents of Nubra and facilitate travel for visitors to destinations including Turtuk, Siachen and other parts of the Valley, while supporting tourism and local economic activity.
LG launches ‘Zhabstok Ladakh’ youth internship portal
The Ladakh LG on Saturday launched ‘Zhabstok Ladakh’, the first of its kind official youth internship portal of Ladakh UT, which seeks to institutionalise a collaborative form of governance by creating a structured platform for youth to work with and learn from the government.
Launched as part of the youth month, the portal (https://internship.ladakh.gov.in/) will provide students and young people of Ladakh an opportunity to participate directly in the development process by undertaking internships across 25 departments of the UT administration through a single application platform.
The LG Yuva Internship Programme will be formally rolled out on September 17, the birth anniversary of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, observed as Seva Diwas. Registration for the three-month internship programme will commence from August 22 and continue till September 5, followed by document verification from September 6 to 14. The internship will commence on September 17, with 2,000 youth to be selected for the programme. Selected interns will receive a monthly honorarium of ₹5,000 during the internship period.