The Centre on Monday ruled out runway expansion at Shimla and Kullu airports, citing difficult terrain and land constraints, while the proposed expansion of Kangra airport remains stuck as the Himachal Pradesh Government is yet to hand over nearly 370 acres of land sought by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
Replying to a question by Rajya Sabha MP Harsh Mahajan, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said Kangra, Kullu and Shimla airports face significant topographical constraints that limit their expansion and future development.
The government said the AAI has prepared a proposal to expand the existing Kangra airport following a request from the Himachal Pradesh Government. However, the project is awaiting the transfer of 369.82 acres of land by the state government.
The reply made it clear that expansion of the existing airports, including runway extensions at Shimla and Kullu-Bhuntar, is not feasible because of challenging terrain, land constraints and other geographical limitations.
The government also shared the present air connectivity in the state. The Shimla airport is currently connected to Delhi and Dharamsala, Kangra airport operates flights to Delhi, Jewar, Chandigarh and Shimla, while Kullu airport is linked to Amritsar, Delhi and Jaipur.
To improve regional air connectivity, the Centre said 40 routes have been operationalised in Himachal Pradesh under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS)-UDAN.
On increasing flight frequency and introducing new air services, the government said domestic aviation has remained fully deregulated since the repeal of the Air Corporations Act in 1994. It said airlines are free to decide the routes they operate, the aircraft they deploy and the frequency of services, subject to the government’s Route Dispersal Guidelines.
The Centre said the decision to launch or expand air services from any airport rests with airlines based on operational and commercial viability, indicating that the government does not directly determine flight frequencies on existing routes.