DGCA has granted permission to operate night flights at Srinagar airport: JK govt

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has granted permission for operating night flights to and from the Srinagar airport, for which the necessary infrastructural upgradation is being done by the Airport Authority of India (AAI), a spokesman of the Jammu and Kashmir government said here today.

"The Srinagar airport will soon have night-landing facility, for which all preparations are being done by the agencies concerned," he said, after a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti.

The DGCA had granted permission for operating night flights and the necessary infrastructural upgradation in this regard was being done by the AAI and state agencies, the spokesman said.

He added that night flights would give a big push to tourism in the state, besides improving its connectivity with other parts of the country, and also help improve its economy.

The chief minister directed the completion of the infrastructural upgradation within a month, so that the facility was thrown open before the tourist season in the Kashmir Valley.

She also directed the immediate release of Rs 3.86 crore for meeting the expenses of raising the ancillary infrastructural facilities for night hours at the airport.

Mehbooba also directed the agencies concerned to take measures for minimising the rush of traffic on the road leading to the Srinagar airport from Humhama.

She asked the officials to explore the suggestions of putting more body scanners at the gate, widening of the entry road from the gate up to the terminal building and using buses to take the passengers inside the airport.

The chief minister also reviewed the pace of work of the expansion of the Jammu airport and directed an early start of the works for the expansion of the runway, for which the tenders have already been floated.

She directed the divisional commissioner, Jammu and the Jammu airport authorities to work out the formalities of exchange of land with the Army authorities to start the runway expansion work at the earliest.

Mehbooba also directed the Jammu airport authorities and the Jammu divisional administration to explore, in the meantime, extending the landing hours at the Jammu airport beyond 5 pm and take measures in this regard.

The chief minister also directed the Jammu divisional administration to identify spots for the construction of the Greenfield airport in Jammu.