Chandigarh International Airport has been shut down for two weeks as announced back in December last year. The flight operations have been suspended for both military and passenger aircrafts. The Indian Air Force which manages the airport is carrying out expansion and repair work of the runway. The length of the Chandigarh International Airport runway is reported to be increased from 9,000 Feet to 10,400 Feet and will facilitate the operations of wider bodied aircrafts. Earlier the IAF had curtailed the operation timing on the Chandigarh airport from 5:00 AM to 4:00 PM and cancelled all flight operations on Sundays. The move is expected to affect a total of 50-60 thousand passengers as more than 4 thousand people travelled to and fro the airport every single day.
Some flights from Chandigarh International airport either suspended or shifted to nearby airports
The city of Chandigarh is connected to some major destinations both inside the country and abroad via the International Airport. Currently there are three international flights operating to Dubai, Sharjah and Bangkok. As of now the operations of the Sharjah flight will continue via the Amritsar Airport instead till the 26th of February.
The Chandigarh International Airport was also connected to Delhi and other major cities like Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Jammu, Leh, Kullu and Srinagar among others. There were 10 flights operating to Delhi carrying 700-800 passengers every day which are to be the most affected. However, now cab operators are likely to benefit from this move as the Railways have made no extra arrangements to tackle the current predicament.
The Chandigarh-Leh flight will now operate from Ambala airfield as reported by some sources. There is no word on the rest of the flights that operated from the Chandigarh International Airport and are assumed cancelled. The air connectivity to Kullu was already suspended for a brief period in the winters and will remain the same at least till the 26th of February.
The International Airport of Chandigarh might get connected to more International destinations
The Chandigarh International Airport Limited (CHIAL) authorities have confirmed that the length of the runway is being increased from 9,000 feet currently to 10,400. This will allow aircrafts with wider bodies to operate to and fro the airport. This essentially means that the city might get connected to more international locations than now namely – Bangkok, Sharjah, and Dubai. Rumours suggest that some carriers might be able to operate flights from US, Australia and some European countries.
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