The long-awaited civil terminal at Halwara Air Base in Ludhiana is finally ready after years of delay. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the terminal virtually on 27 July, confirmed Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Jain and the Airports Authority of India (AAI).

However, no final date has been set for flight operations to begin, and no airline has been officially confirmed. An official indicated that Air India may start a flight to Delhi, but required permissions are still pending.

Located at the Indian Air Force base in Halwara, Raikot subdivision, the civil terminal was a longstanding demand of Ludhiana’s residents, especially the business community, to improve air connectivity in the region.

Currently, Ludhiana is served only by FlyBig, operating one flight six days a week to Ghaziabad’s Hindon airport from Sahnewal airport. Consequently, industrialists and traders must travel to Delhi, Jalandhar, Amritsar or Chandigarh to access other destinations.

The new terminal will initially handle only one domestic flight, with a capacity of 150 passengers for arrivals and departures.

Punjab’s Industries Minister Sanjeev Arora, who recently won the Ludhiana West bypoll on an Aam Aadmi Party ticket, confirmed the 27 July inauguration and noted that flight schedules would be announced later by the airlines.

The terminal building has been constructed at Aitiana village, 35 km from Ludhiana district headquarters, on 162 acres of land contributed by 272 farmers.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann previously proposed renaming the airport after Shaheed Kartar Singh Sarabha, a local freedom fighter, but this awaits central government approval.

Seven Years in the Making

Although approved by the Punjab government in 2018, civil work was repeatedly delayed due to funding issues. Construction began only after the Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (GLADA) took possession of the land in 2020.

The Public Works Department (PWD) received the contract in December 2021, with a completion target of June 2022, but funds were delayed until November 2022. Work resumed in December 2022 following intervention by Chief Minister Mann.