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Chandigarh Airport

Chandigarh Airport (IATA: IXC, ICAO: VICG), also called Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport, is a customs airport serving the union territory of Chandigarh, India. The airport is located in Jhiurheri, Punjab and shares space with the Indian Air Force. The airport caters to 17 domestic destinations and two international destinations. The airport is named after the freedom fighter Bhagat Singh.The airport is operated by CHIAL (Chandigarh International Airport Limited) which is a joint venture company between Airports Authority of India (51%), Government of Punjab (24.5%) and Government of Haryana (24.5%).

History

Chandigarh Airport operated all its civil and commercial operations from the civil enclave of the Indian Air Force Station. Indian Airlines started operating flights from Chandigarh to Delhi in the 1970s. A new airport building was constructed in the civil enclave and was opened on 14 April 2011. This air terminal was declared a customs airport on 19 August 2011, making it eligible for a limited number of international flights, but no international flight ever operated from this terminal.

In 2008, the Government of Punjab acquired 304.04 acres of land on the south side of the existing runway in Jhiurheri village at a cost of ₹452 crore (equivalent to ₹13 billion or US$160 million in 2023) to build the new terminal, which was completed in 2015 at a cost of ₹939 crore (equivalent to ₹14 billion or US$180 million in 2023). The Government of Punjab through GMADA and the Government of Haryana through HUDA each have a 24.5% stake and the Airports Authority of India holds the rest, a 51% stake in CHIAL the operator of the airport.

On 24 December 2015, the Mohali Industries Association filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Punjab and Haryana High Court for non-operation of international flights after spending ₹1,400 crore (equivalent to ₹21 billion or US$260 million in 2023) on the airport. After numerous hearings at Punjab and Haryana High Court and a long wait, IndiGo and Air India Express commenced flights to Dubai and Sharjah respectively in September 2016.

Facilities

Terminal

The new terminal was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 11 September 2015. The terminal was built by Larsen and Toubro and became operational on 19 October 2015.

Construction of the new terminal included two link taxiways to the terminal and cargo complex. A new taxiway was added in April 2022 increasing the aircraft handling capacity to 20 per hour. The terminal has five bays with aerobridges and eight remote parking stands. The terminal covers 53,000 sq. metres with a capacity to handle 1600 passengers at a time and a parking space for 150 vehicles. The departures are on first floor and arrivals on ground floor. There is one ATM located in the parking area, WiFi inside the terminal, and one duty-free shop in the departures area.

Runway

The airport has single runway 11/29. From 2017 to 2019, the runway went through a major upgrade and repair that was completed on 9 April 2019. The expanded runway with approach lighting is 12,400 ft (3,800 m) long with effective take-off length of runway 10,400 ft (3,200 m). Since 10 April 2019, the airport is available for 24 hour operations. Additional runway approach lighting in the touchdown zone was installed in 2021 to assist in landing during foggy weather. As of 2022, runway is 10,400 ft Code 4E and equipped with 900 AFLS, 02 ILS, CAT I ILS at Rwy 11 and CAT-II at Rwy 29 making IXC capable to handle wide-bodied aircraft.

Cargo terminal

The airport includes an integrated common use cargo terminal. The cargo terminal includes five buildings of 450 m² (4,800 sq ft) each, with one building designated for perishable goods.