Ludhiana’s Halwara International Airport Set for April 30 Launch After Years of Delays

LUDHIANA, April 8, 2025 — After missing 15 deadlines and over three years in the making, the much-anticipated Halwara International Airport in Ludhiana is finally set for takeoff, with authorities racing to complete all remaining tasks by April 30.

Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Jain has urged the Indian Air Force (IAF) to expedite the pending 10 percent construction work. The administration is simultaneously coordinating with central departments to secure final statutory approvals to greenlight the airport’s operation by the end of the month.

The project, pegged at Rs 50 crore, marks a significant infrastructure boost for Punjab’s industrial capital, which currently depends on the limited Sahnewal airport. The new international facility, developed at the Halwara Air Force base, will replace Sahnewal and serve a wider region, offering enhanced connectivity to the state and neighbouring areas.

With groundwork nearly complete, only a few technical elements remain. These include runway overlaying, cabling, drainage, perimeter wall upgrades, signage, security infrastructure, lighting, seating and testing of surveillance and flight information systems. Coordination among the PWD, central agencies, and private contractors is being closely monitored to ensure no further delay.

The airport was assigned the ICAO code “VIHX” earlier this year, and the IATA code is expected soon, pending confirmation from the IAF. The final operational date, as per Airports Authority of India (AAI) Chairman Vipin Kumar, will be announced once the civil terminal is officially handed over by the state government.

Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora, who has been actively pursuing the project, recently received updates from the AAI. He confirmed that the bidding process for airlines will be launched shortly. Air India has already expressed interest in starting services from Ludhiana once the airport is functional.

With the April 30 deadline now firm, the district administration is under pressure to ensure that all pending work — including airside preparations, passenger terminal finalisation, and regulatory clearances — is completed without further slippage.