Centre Directs Two-Month Feasibility Report for Kangra (Gaggal) Airport Expansion, Himachal Pradesh
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu met Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu in New Delhi on September 9, 2026, to discuss strengthening air connectivity and aviation infrastructure in the state, with the expansion of Kangra (Gaggal) Airport taken up as a priority item.
Sukhu informed the minister that the land acquisition process for the airport expansion has already been completed. In response, Naidu directed the concerned authorities to appoint a competent consultant and finalise the techno-economic feasibility report for the expansion within two months.
The Chief Minister said timely completion of the report would help accelerate the expansion project and urged the Airports Authority of India to make a realistic assessment of the project cost. Land acquisition for the project had previously been estimated at around ₹1,900-2,000 crore, though a separate cost estimate for the airport expansion works itself has not yet been finalised.
The existing Kangra airstrip, at 1,376 metres, is planned to be extended to 3,010 metres to enable landing of larger aircraft such as Boeing planes, with the aim of boosting tourism in the state.
The meeting also discussed regularising flight operations from Shimla Airport and strengthening the state's heliport network, with the Centre indicating support for improving air connectivity across Himachal Pradesh, including funding for heliport construction under the UDAN scheme.