Ministry of Civil Aviation and Himachal Pradesh government sign MoU for development of airport in Mandi

New Delhi, April 26, 2022

The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and the Government of Himachal Pradesh on Monday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for development of a greenfield airport at Nagchala in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh.

Union Minister of Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya Scindia and Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur were amongst those present on the occasion.

Rajiv Bansal, Secretary, MoCA, Airports Authority of India (AAI) Chairman Sanjiv Kumar and Himachal Pradesh Chief Secretary Ram Subhag Singh were also present on the occasion.

An official press release said the new greenfield airport at Nagchala is being developed under the Greenfield Airport Policy of MoCA and a joint venture company between the Government of Himachal Pradesh and the AAI has been formed. The projected land requirement for airport is 515 acres approximately and the project 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 release added.

NNN