Sundernagar to put HP on international air map

The Himachal Pradesh government, said sources, is keen to develop a bigger airport at Sundernagar in district Mandi, which can cater to bigger Airbus and Boeing type aircraft. This was being thought of to enable international tourists access the state in bigger airplanes. Currently, the airports at Kullu, Kangra and Shimla are only capable of handling smaller aircraft.

Responding to the CM’s statement that the state government had offered land for the Sundernagar project and that a joint inspection with the AAI and Civil Aviation ministry had already been done, Patel said that he “will see to it that the proposal doesn’t remain merely on paper.”

Further, AAI is conducting a techno-feasibility study to examine the possibility of getting the current runway at Kullu airport extended. “There is a plan to build a bridge across the river Beas so as to extend the runway,” AAI’s chairman K Ramalingam said. Patel added that the work on extending the runway at Kullu will begin this year.

Meanwhile, private scheduled carrier Air Deccan, which flew in the first flight to Kangra airport today, announced plans to launch daily direct flights between Delhi and Shimla from mid-April.