Kangra Airport in Gaggal plans to extend flight operations from 2 p.m. to sunset by March 2025. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has already granted necessary permissions and airport authorities are taking the necessary arrangements for change.

Currently, the airport is operating single-shift flights for up to 14 hours due to shortage of manpower. However, the airport will also receive around 50 additional police officers with the increase in operations.

The airport authorities are also planning the reconfiguration of the existing terminal building, for which the tender will be published soon. The same building will be extended laterally and the first floor will also be added. The arrival area will also be enlarged.

Sharing more details, Kangra Airport Director Dhirendra Singh said, “We are planning to start flight operations from sunrise to sunset from March. The reconfiguration of the existing terminal will also be carried out simultaneously and will take approximately six to seven months.

The move is aimed at boosting the region’s tourism industry, which has long supported the expansion of the airport and its operations.

Airport expansion process underway

The state government is also in the process of expanding the Gaggal airport. The ongoing expansion project aims to increase the length of Kangra Airport’s runway from the current 1,372 meters to 3,010 meters. This expansion is crucial to accommodate larger aircraft, such as the Airbus A320, which would improve connectivity between the valley and other parts of the country.

The ability to accommodate larger aircraft should reduce travel costs on this route. Currently, only six flights per day are operated from Kangra Airport and due to the shorter runway, only 72-seater aircraft can land at the airstrip.

Disdrometer installed at the airport

For the first time, the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (ITM), Pune, recently installed a state-of-the-art disdrometer at the Kangra airport in the Himalayan region.

A disdrometer is a sophisticated instrument used to measure the size distribution and velocity of raindrops as well as rain intensity and precipitation accumulation every 30 seconds, thereby providing critical data on the microphysics of precipitation.

The facility aims to improve understanding of precipitation patterns and rain microphysics in the Himalayan region, which is prone to complex weather phenomena. The data collected will help improve regional weather models, hydrological studies and climate research.

Additionally, it supports aviation safety by providing accurate precipitation characteristics for better weather forecasts near the airport and in the Kangra Dharamshala region.