Himachal: Greenfield Airport To Be Developed At Mandi's Nagchala At A Cost Of Nearly Rs 900 Crore

A new greenfield airport will be developed in the Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation and Government of Himachal Pradesh on Monday (25 April) signed MoU (Memorandum of Understanding) for development of a greenfield Airport in Nagchala, Mandi District of Himachal Pradesh.

Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and Himachal Chief Minister Jairam Thakur were present on the occasion.

The new greenfield airport at Nagchala, Mandi is being developed under the Greenfield Airport Policy of the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

A joint venture company between the Himachal government and Airport Authority of India has been formed for the development of the airport, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said in a release on Monday (25 April).

According to the ministry, the projected land requirement for airport is around 515 acres and and it is estimated to cost around Rs 900 crore excluding the cost of land.

Speaking on the occasion, Scindia said, “We are committed to provide last mile connectivity to the people of Himachal Pradesh. With this aim in mind, we are developing new aviation infrastructure as well as upgrading existing facilities in Himachal Pradesh whether it is development of new green field airport in Mandi or acquisition of additional land for extension of runways at existing airports. With this, we are committed to develop civil aviation as a harbinger of economic development for the region.”

There are three airports - Shimla, Kullu, and Kangra - and five heliports - Kangnidhar, Shimla, Rampur, Baddi, and SASE(Manali) - in Himachal Pradesh that are developed or being developed which would give a massive boost to tourism industry of the state once completed, the ministry said.