Kangra Airport

The foundation of Kangra airport was laid down by Virbhadra Singh, the then Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, on 15 October, 1986.[4] The first scheduled operation at this airport was by Vayudoot with a Dornier 228 in the 1990. Subsequently other airlines like Jagson, Air Deccan and Kingfisher also operated from this Airport. In 2001, the airport was renamed as Kangra airport.[5] In March 2007, the runway was extended from 910 to 1,370 m (3,000 to 4,500 ft) and a new terminal building was inaugurated.[6] As a result, for the first time an ATR-42 aircraft of Air Deccan landed at Kangra Airport on 28 March 2007. Subsequently, other airlines also started operating on this route, with SpiceJet and Alliance Air starting from 2013.

The airport, spread over 1,269 acres (514 ha) at an altitude of 2,492 ft (760 m) has one asphalt runway, oriented 15/33, 1,372 by 30 m (4,501 by 98 ft). Its 91 by 61 m (300 by 200 ft) apron provides parking space for two turboprop aircraft, like the ATR 72, and Dash 8 Series 400, while its terminal building can handle 100 passengers, 50 in the arrival area and 50 in the departure area. Due to its shorter runway as well as high altitude, the airport has a load penalty and aircraft at this airport are not allowed to take-off with full capacity, leading to under-utilization and higher airfares on this route.

Navigational aids include precision approach path indicator (PAPI) lights and VHF omnidirectional range (DVOR).[7] The DVOR was installed in 2016, which reduced the minimum runway visibility requirement for aircraft landing at the airport from 5,000 to 2,400 m (16,400 to 7,900 ft). The airport falls in Category II(c) of International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards due to limited instrument landing system (ILS) capabilities.

In October 2013, for first time, the issue of expansion of Kangra Airport came up officially, when Ministry of Civil Aviation hinted at expanding Gaggal Airport and conducting a fresh survey for expansion of the airport.[8] In August 2014, the District Administration was ordered to carry out the expansion survey and wrote to the Airports Authority of India (AAI) in this regard.[9] Following this, a team of AAI Officials visited the airport in May 2015 for feasibility study and identification of land required.[10]

In 2019, the team visited the adjacent area of the airport and identified the land for expanding the runway from 1,370 to 1,920 m (4,490 to 6,300 ft). However, this proposed expansion would require total of 140 ha (350 acres) and would mean displacement of almost all of the Gaggal Township which is located about 2 km (1.2 mi) from the Airport and lies directly in the proposed path of airstrip expansion. As a result, in January and February 2020, there were demonstrations by the locals against the government.[11]

In March 2021, Obstruction Level Survey (OLS) for proposed expansion was carried out by AAI.[12] In the revised survey of AAI, the length of runway was to be expanded to 1,900 m (6,200 ft), by first constructing a bridge over the Manjhi River, which flows in between the Gaggal township and the airport. Thereafter, the runway is to be expanded to 3,010 m (9,880 ft) by acquiring the land beyond Gaggal township, cutting through National Highway 154, which would also require the realignment of the highway.

In March 2022, AAI came up with a two phase expansion plan for Kangra Airport.[13]

• In Phase 1, the runway is to be expanded by around 600 m (2,000 ft), from current 1,372 to 1,900 m (4,501 to 6,234 ft), which would require construction of a runway bridge over the Manjhi River, just short of Gaggal township. If first phase is completed, it will help turboprop airplanes in taking off and landing at the Gaggal airport with full capacity without load penalty.

• In Phase 2, the runway is to be increased by 1,210 m (3,970 ft), taking the increased length of runway from 1,900 to 3,110 m (6,230 to 10,200 ft). This expansion will enable narrow bodied turbofan aircraft like Airbus-320/330 and Boeing 737 to easily operate from this airport. This would not only providea major boost to the tourism sector for Kangra district, but would also serve Chamba, Hamirpur and Una districts.

A total of Rs 400 Crores were recommended by the Fifteenth Finance Commission for the expansion of Kangra Airport, which have been granted by the Central Government.

Last year, the expansion plans were released to general public so that they can plan accordingly to rehabilitate or relocate to newer places.

• Accident history for DHM at Aviation Safety Network
• Kangra (Gaggal) Airport at Airports Authority of India web site