"Halwara Airport Project Approaches 75% Completion Milestone"

With the ambitious deadline of May 15 approaching rapidly, the Halwara International Airport project is still facing completion of approximately 25% of the work. Despite multiple missed deadlines, including the latest one on March 31, authorities have set a new target due to pending ground works.

The project, overseen by the Public Works Department (PWD) through construction agencies, has seen about 75% completion, according to a PWD official familiar with the progress. While the apron, or flight line, is nearly 90% complete, the taxiway stands at 55%-60% finished. Ongoing work on the taxiway includes widening a 200-meter section near the runway.

Additionally, efforts are underway to set up a trolley gate to connect the airport complex with the air force station area. Surveillance cameras have been installed at the boundary gate, and remaining equipment is expected to arrive within a month.

Other pending tasks include completing boundary roads with black coating, addressing footpath-related works, and constructing a 25-meter-long bridge connecting Aitiana village link road to the airport. The terminal building is nearly 98% complete, with final touches being applied, including painting, installation of furniture, water connections, and fabric integration on the canopies.

However, officials from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) do not anticipate completion of the airport before the conclusion of the Lok Sabha elections. They estimate that taxiway work alone will require three to four more months.

Local residents, such as Avtar Singh from Halwara, eagerly await the airport's completion, expecting it to boost local businesses and provide convenient international travel options for the district and neighboring areas. Singh highlighted that currently, people must travel to Amritsar, Mohali, or Delhi for international flights, but the new airport will offer a more accessible alternative.

TOI