The Kangra Airport, the largest in Himachal Pradesh, has faced nearly 40 per cent flight cancellations over the past two months due to heavy monsoon rains and poor visibility, officials confirmed on Saturday.
Airport Director Dhirendra Singh said the administration has initiated measures to minimise disruptions by reducing the visibility requirement for landings from 5 km to around 3 km.
“Since we need 5 km visibility to land at Kangra airport, over 30 to 40% of flights were cancelled in the past two months. Our prime agenda was to reduce the range to around 3 km to avoid cancellations, and we’ve made progress in this direction,” Singh told ANI.
He further informed that an agreement has been reached between the Airport Authority of India (AAI) and the Indian Air Force (IAF), under which the Air Force has agreed to transfer control of a 12-nautical-mile airspace zone around the airport. This move will allow AAI to prepare new air traffic procedures, involving airlines and the DGCA, to facilitate smoother flight operations even during low-visibility conditions.
Meanwhile, Himachal Pradesh has been severely impacted by heavy rainfall, which has claimed 355 lives this season, according to the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA). Of these, 194 deaths were caused by landslides, flash floods, lightning, and other rain-related incidents, while 161 fatalities resulted from road accidents.