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Kangra Airport

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Kangra Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic/Military
Owner/OperatorAirports Authority of India
ServesKangra
LocationKangra, Himachal Pradesh, India
Built1986; 40 years ago (1986)
In use1990–present
Time zoneIndian Standard Time (+5:30)
Elevation AMSL770 m (2,530 ft)
Coordinates32°9′54″N 76°15′48″E / 32.16500°N 76.26333°E / 32.16500; 76.26333
WebsiteKangra Airport
Map
DHM is located in Himachal Pradesh
DHM
DHM
Location within Himachal Pradesh
DHM is located in India
DHM
DHM
Location within India
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
15/33 1,372 4,501 Asphalt
Statistics (April 2025 - March 2026)
Passengers164056 (Decrease -21.8%)
Aircraft movement2868 (Decrease -25.1%)
Cargo tonnage—
Source: AAI[1][2][3]

Kangra-Gaggal Airport[4] (IATA: DHM, ICAO: VIGG), officially known as Kangra Airport, is a domestic airport serving areas of Kangra including Dharamshala, the winter capital of Himachal Pradesh, India. It is located at Gaggal, which is situated 12 km (7.5 mi) from the city, 8 km (5.0 mi) from Kangra and 14 km (8.7 mi) from Kangra Railway Station. The airport is located on National Highway 154, that runs between Pathankot and Mandi, and is the largest airport in Himachal Pradesh in terms of passengers and aircraft movement, handling around 210,000 passengers and over 3,800 aircraft in FY 2024-25.[1][2]

History

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The foundation of Kangra Airport was laid down by Virbhadra Singh, the then Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, on 15 October 1986.[5] The first scheduled operation at this airport was by Vayudoot with a Dornier 228 in 1990. Subsequently, other airlines like Jagson, Air Deccan and Kingfisher also operated from the airport. In 2001, the airport was renamed Kangra Airport.[6] 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.[7]

Structure

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Navigational aids include precision approach path indicator (PAPI) lights and VHF omnidirectional range (DVOR).[8]

Expansion plans and delays

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In October 2013, for the 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.[9] 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.[10] Following this, a team of AAI Officials visited the airport in May 2015 for feasibility study and identification of land required.[11]

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 a 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.[12]

In March 2021, an Obstruction Level Survey (OLS) for proposed expansion was carried out by AAI.[13] In March 2022, AAI came up with a two phase expansion plan for Kangra Airport.[14]

  • 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 1,110 m (3,640 ft), taking the increased length of runway from 1,900 to 3,010 m (6,230 to 9,880 ft). This expansion will enable narrow bodied turbofan aircraft like Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 to easily operate from this airport. This would not only provide a major boost to the tourism sector for Kangra district, but would also serve Chamba, Hamirpur and Una districts as well as adjoining areas of Punjab such as Pathankot, which despite having an airport, does not have any regular flights .

In November 2022, CWPRS, Pune was consulted to study the feasibility of constructing runway bridge over Manjhi River, which gave its nod in this regard in a report submitted to state Government in February 2023.[15] Meanwhile, after State Assembly elections and formation of new Government in December 2022, Kangra District was identified to be developed as Tourism Capital of the state. Consequently, the expansion of Kangra Airport got a new impetus. Further, it was also decided to complete the land acquisition process for both phases simultaneously.[16] In this regard, in March 2023, the Social Impact Assessment of the expansion project was ordered by the Government to be carried by Himachal Pradesh Institute of Public Administration(HIPA).[17] In order to complete the land acquisition proceedings and start the expansion work as soon as possible, the State Government in Budget 2023-24 allocated Rs 2000 Crore for this purpose.[18] In April 2023, under the provisions of Land Acquisition Act-2013, an Expert Appraisal Committee(EAC) was constituted under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioner(Relief and Rehabilitation), Raja ka Talab, to study the SIA report. The EAC will submit its recommendations to Government regarding the relief and compensation to be provided to the displaced population in the expansion project.[19] In May 2023 the EAC in its meeting discussed the various issues regarding expansion of Airport and also sought Techno-feasibility report as well as Environment Impact Assessment report from the Government.[20] In June 2023, in a Cabinet meeting, the State Government gave approval for land acquisition in this regard.[21] In July 2023, the Notification to acquire the said land was issued by Government under Section 11 of Land Acquisition Act-2013.[22]

Airlines and destinations

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AirlinesDestinations
Alliance Air Shimla[23]
IndiGo Chandigarh,[24] Delhi,[citation needed] Jaipur,[citation needed] Noida[25]

Awards and recognition

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In 2024, Kangra Airport was ranked First in the AAI's Customer Satisfaction Survey-2024 in domestic airports category.[26]

Statistics

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PassengersYearPassengersAnnual passenger traffic

References

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  1. 1 2 "Annexure III - Passenger Data" (PDF). www.aai.aero. Retrieved 27 April 2026.
  2. 1 2 "Annexure II - Aircraft Movement Data" (PDF). www.aai.aero. Retrieved 27 April 2026.
  3. ↑ "Annexure IV - Freight Movement Data" (PDF). www.aai.aero. Retrieved 27 April 2026.
  4. ↑ "Kangra Airport". Airports Authority of India. Retrieved 28 October 2017.
  5. ↑ "Kangra Airport". Airports Authority of India. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  6. ↑ "Kangra Airport". Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  7. ↑ "Fly Kangra to Delhi every day". The Tribune. Archived from the original on 27 March 2022. Retrieved 27 March 2022.
  8. ↑ "Himachal's 1st instrumental landing tech at Kangra airport". The Times of India. 9 July 2016. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
  9. ↑ "Center likely to approve expansion of Gaggal airport". The Times of India. 13 October 2013. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  10. ↑ "Kangra Airport". Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  11. ↑ "Kangra airport set for expansion". The Times of India. 17 May 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  12. ↑ "Gaggal shuts against expansion of airport". 4 January 2020. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  13. ↑ "Kangra Airport Extension". Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  14. ↑ "Himachal's Gaggal airport to be expanded in 2 phases". Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  15. ↑ "Kangra airport expansion: Pune institute gives nod to runway bridge over Manjhi". 23 February 2023. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  16. ↑ "Approval for Survey of Kangra Airport; Preparation for Land Acquisition of Both Phases Simultaneously". 24 February 2023. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  17. ↑ "Himachal Pradesh Institute of Public Administration to conduct SIA for Kangra airport within a month". The Times of India. 4 March 2023. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  18. ↑ "कांगड़ा एयरपोर्ट विस्तार पर सरकार की मुहर; 2 हजार करोड़ बजट, 3110 मीटर लंबा होगा रन-वे". Retrieved 17 March 2023.
  19. ↑ "Kangra Airport: कांगड़ा एयरपोर्ट विस्तार के बीच EAC का किया गया गठन". Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  20. ↑ "प्रदेश सरकार से मांगी जाएंगी दो अहम रिपोर्ट, कांगड़ा एयरपोर्ट विस्तारीकरण को एक्सपट्र्स का मंथन". 13 May 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  21. ↑ "Cabinet okays land acquisition for Gaggal airport expansion". The Times of India. 20 June 2023. Retrieved 22 June 2023.
  22. ↑ "Preliminary Notification for land acquisition for Gaggal Airport expansion". Rajpatra Of Himachal Pradesh. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
  23. ↑ "From Dec 9, fly to Kullu, Dharamshala from Shimla". The Indian Express. 4 December 2022. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  24. ↑ "IndiGo resumes direct Dharamshala-Chandigarh flight service". Hill Post. 1 September 2026. Retrieved 1 September 2026.
  25. ↑ "IndiGo Will Be the Launch Carrier of Noida International Airport" (PDF) (Press release). IndiGo. 7 May 2026. Retrieved 18 May 2026.
  26. ↑ "Gaggal airport in Kangra tops AAI customer satisfaction survey". The Hindustan Times. 2 April 2025. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
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