The Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Himachal Pradesh government recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for developing a greenfield airport at Nagchala in Mandi, Himachal Pradesh. According to the Ministry, the new greenfield airport at Nagchala is being developed under its Greenfield Airport Policy. A joint venture (JV) agreement has been between the Himachal Pradesh government and the Airports Authority of India (AAI). The expected land requirement for the new airport is around 515 acres, with an estimated project cost of around Rs 900 crore, excluding the cost of land. Jyotiraditya M Scindia, Civil Aviation Minister, said that the Ministry is committed to providing last-mile connectivity to the people of Himachal Pradesh. Concerning this, the Ministry is developing new aviation infrastructure and even upgrading the existing facilities in Himachal Pradesh, whether it is the development of a new greenfield airport in Mandi or more land acquisition for the extension of runways at the existing airports in the state. He said that the Ministry is committed to developing civil aviation as a precursor to regional economic development. There are three airports in Himachal Pradesh, including Kullu, Shimla and Kangra and five heliports, including Kangnidhar, Rampur, Shimla, Baddi, and SASE (Manali), that are developed or under development. After completion, it would give a massive boost to the tourism industry in Himachal Pradesh. At the MoU signing event, other officials were also present, including the CM of Himachal Pradesh, Jai Ram Thakur, and other senior officials from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, AAI and the Himachal Pradesh government. Image Source Also read: NHLML, Himachal Pradesh govt signs MoU for 7 ropeway projects