Kangra Airport sans facilities

Dharamshala, Nov 4 : Night landing of the aircraft at Kangra airport seems to be a distant dream for want of essential instrumental Landing System (ILS) and Very High Frequency Omen Range Antenna (VOR).

Both instruments, crucial for the facility have so far not even been requisitioned by the Airport Authority of India (AAI) which was to procure these from abroad, according to sources.

Thus an assurance by the Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel during the earlier tenure of UPA government two year back that night landing facility would be provided at this airport within four months, remains just an empty promise.

The runway lights had been installed but unless ILS and VOR were installed night landing was not possible. There was no Central line alignment localiser and angle line facilities at this airport.

The airport was lacking a Met Office so during inclement weather permission of landing was granted or denied by the Air Traffic Control (ATC) on the basis of the visual observations only.

At present 4500 feet long runway here was providing landing and take off facilities for ATR aircraft and if it was doubled to 9000 feet, airbus 320 could also land at this airport, the AAI sources informed.

MORE UNI XC JN MMS1724 AVIATION-HP-KANGRA AIRPORT two last Dharamshala This sector was not profitable as only one flight was operating from here daily and this was being attributed as the reason for neglect of this airport by the AAI, the sources divulged.

Meanwhile Ashu Sharma, head of the Guest Handling Agency (GHA) of the Kingfisher Airlines here said that the flight arrives here with full seating capacity and hopefully another flight of their airlines would also start soon.

The air fare between Kangra and Delhi was ranging between Rs.

3500 to 7879 was highest in the country for the same distance.

AAI sources said that Reli-gear Airlines was expected to start from October 15, flights on Delhi-Kangra, Kangra-Chandigarh, Chandigarh-Kangra and Kangra-Delhi routes but the services could not be initiated.

AAI authorities disclosed that the timings for the watch over period at the airport was brought down from 1330 hrs to 1130 hrs since October 15, in view of the expected Religear flights.

Meanwhile, the AAI had even failed to start a canteen at the airport and also failed to have seating arrangements for the companions of the passengers.

This sector was not profitable as only one flight was operating from here daily and this was being attributed as the reason for neglect of this airport by the AAI, the sources divulged. Meanwhile Ashu Sharma, head of the Guest Handling Agency (GHA) of the Kingfisher Airlines here said that the flight arrives here with full seating capacity and hopefully another flight of their airlines would also start soon.

The air fare between Kangra and Delhi was ranging between Rs 3500 to 7879 was highest in the country for the same distance.

AAI sources said that Reli-gear Airlines was expected to start from October 15, flights on Delhi-Kangra, Kangra-Chandigarh, Chandigarh-Kangra and Kangra-Delhi routes but the services could not be initiated.

AAI authorities disclosed that the timings for the watch over period at the airport was brought down from 1330 hrs to 1130 hrs since October 15, in view of the expected Religear flights.

Meanwhile, the AAI had even failed to start a canteen at the airport and also failed to have seating arrangements for the companions of the passengers.

--UNI

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