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Deadline set for March 2024: Ludhiana airport civil terminal nears completion but will handle only one domestic flight initially | Chandigarh News
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After a delay of over six years since its approval, the civil terminal at the upcoming Ludhiana international airport (Halwara) is expected to become operational in 2024, the official deadline of completion being March 31.
The much-touted international airport project, which CM Bhagwant Mann had said will be named after Shaheed Kartar Singh Sarabha, would initially begin with an interim terminal which is being built to handle just one domestic flight (at one point of time) with a maximum of 300 passengers.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) station at Halwara is being upgraded into an international civil airport, a demand of industrialists from Ludhiana since years. While the terminal is 95% ready, the IAF is yet to complete the re-carpeting of the runway.
Amardeep Nehra, assistant general manager of Airport Authority of India (AAI), said that the work is going on at full pace and the Public Works Department (PWD), the executing agency of the Punjab government, has given a deadline of March 31, 2024 to complete work at the site.
“At present, we have to ensure that the interim civil terminal is completed by March 31, 2024 so to start domestic flights. The terminal building measures 2000 sqm and we have built one new apron for landing of the plane. Initially, the new infrastructure would handle one domestic flight (AIRBUS A321) and 300 passengers (150 departure and arrival each). The existing runway size is 3050 m x 45 m which is enough to handle one flight. It will be expanded in future as per demand,” Nehra said, adding that work on the main international airport building will start later.
Nehra said that the project will bring relief to locals as they currently have to travel to Delhi or Chandigarh to take flights. “There are visibility issues at the currently existing Sahnewal domestic airport due to which Ludhiana-Delhi flight also fails to operate regularly,” he said, adding that the interim terminal being built can be used for cargo and other purposes later.
A visit to the site revealed that the new terminal building has just one conveyor belt (to handle luggage). The contractor on the site said that right now they are preparing the building for just 150 passengers and it will be expanded later.
Pardeep Kumar, executive engineer (XEN), PWD, said that of the nearly Rs 53-crore project cost for terminal building and tarmac area construction, the Punjab government has released Rs 30 crore, which has been used. “There is no problem of funds as of now. Work is going on smoothly and being done by Himachal Pradesh-based company Synergy Thrislington,” he said, adding that initially the entire cost will be incurred by the Punjab government, and later AAI will reimburse it.
Even as the Punjab cabinet approved the project in December 2018 under the previous Congress government, and the Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority had taken possession of 161.27 acres only in May 2020. The civil work also started after inexplicable delays. The project has missed several deadlines in the past, including one in June 2022 and another in June 2023.
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