Punjab to get third international airport soon

LUDHIANA: After Mohali and Amritsar, Halwara in Ludhiana will get an international airport in Punjab. The council of ministers on Monday approved the setting up of a new international civil terminal at the Indian Air Force (IAF) station in Halwara, 32 kms from Ludhiana.

The cabinet, in a meeting chaired by chief minister Amarinder Singh, also gave the go-ahead to the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Airport Authority of India (AAI) for the project.
A spokesperson of the chief minister’s office (CMO) said the AAI and the state government will develop the civil terminal through a joint venture company (JVC) to be constituted for the purpose. While AAI would have a majority stake of 51% in the JVC, the state government, through the Greater Ludhiana Development Authority (GLADA), will have 49% stake in the project.
The state government will provide 135. 54 acres free of cost to the JVC by way of its equity in the project. The capital expenditure on development of the new airport would be borne by AAI, whereas the expenditure on operations, maintenance and repairs would be taken care of by the JVC.
According to the spokesperson, the first phase of the project, which will include development of a new international civil enclave over 135.54 acres for full-fledged operations, is likely to be completed within three years. The terminal will be able to accomodate Code 4C-type aircraft. This means the terminal will be able to handle bigger aeroplanes like the Boeing 737-700 and Airbus A-320.
The project, aimed at giving a fillip to the economic development of Punjab’s business and industrial hub Ludhiana, also fulfills a long-pending demand of the Ludhiana-based industry, which the chief minister has now acceded.
Ludhiana is Punjab’s largest industrial and business city, with a population of nearly two million. At present, it is serviced by a small domestic airport at Sahnewal under the operational control of AAI, which runs RCS-UDAN flights to Delhi. Ludhiana also has the advantage of being at the geographical centre of Punjab.