Nagpur Airport prepares to resume full flight operations

Nagpur Airport is close to finishing its runway recarpeting, which has affected flight operations for over a year. Union minister Nitin Gadkari visited the site and criticized officials for the delays. He announced that the Airports Authority of India (AAI) expects to complete the work by March 31. Minor tasks remain on the runway sides, which should be finished soon. An advisory committee created by Gadkari has contacted airlines, asking them to consider increasing flights from Nagpur. The newly improved runway will allow flights to operate at any time. Currently, operations are limited from 10 am to 6 pm because of the ongoing work. The committee aims to establish direct international flights to cities like Hong Kong, Singapore, and Bangkok to boost Nagpur's global links. Girdhari Mantri, the committee chairman, mentioned they are also requesting more domestic routes. While Nagpur connects well with major cities, there are chances to add flights to smaller towns. The prolonged recarpeting has affected flight frequency, and Gadkari noted that rising airfares are partly due to these delays. Once the recarpeting is complete, the final approval will be needed from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) before regular operations can restart. The airport is managed by Mihan India Limited, which is a partnership between the Maharashtra Airports Development Company and the AAI. The recarpeting contract, worth over ₹37 crore, was reportedly awarded at a lower price than initially expected. A public interest litigation was filed against the delays, which some say should have started six years ago. Work was also paused for elections to allow chartered flights for political leaders.