Shimla: The Kangra district, which is being developed as the tourist capital of Himachal Pradesh, could soon be aerially connected with Jammu while proposals to connect it with Jaipur and Dehradun are in the pipeline, officials said on Tuesday.
“IndiGo Airlines has proposed connecting Jammu to Kangra (Gaggal) Airport. The plan involves establishing connectivity between Jammu and Dharamshala as well as between Dharamshala and Delhi in the coming period,” said Amit Saklani, Acting Director of Kangra Airport.
He said the service could launch around the New Year, potentially on January 1. However, official confirmation is still pending.
The move is expected to provide significant convenience to tourists visiting the Kangra Valley, including Dharamshala and McLeod Ganj. He added that travellers heading towards Leh could find relief from the current hassle of catching flights from Jammu or Delhi.
Saklani said the airport currently faces some limitations regarding parking bay facilities. The goal is to complete the necessary upgrades within the next four to five months, after which the prospects for expanding air connectivity will strengthen significantly.
He clarified that since the airline has only submitted a proposal so far, flight fares and final schedules have not yet been determined.
About one lakh passengers have travelled through the airport between January and July this year and if this trend continues, the annual passenger volume is likely to reach around two lakh.
Regarding the potential to connect Kangra Airport with other cities, Saklani said proposals have been received from airlines to establish connectivity with Jaipur and Dehradun as well. However, launching these services would require expanding the airport and enhancing existing facilities.
A SpiceJet flight service to Jaipur had previously operated for about four to five months before it was discontinued. Now, we expect IndiGo will connect Kangra with Jaipur and Dehradun, he said.
