FICO Urges Government to Expedite Opening of Halwara International Airport
Gurmeet Singh Kular, President, and Manjinder Singh Sachdeva, General Secretary of the Federation of Industrial & Commercial Organization (FICO), have urged Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu to ensure the early commencement of operations at Halwara International Airport without further delay.
City Air News
Nov 7, 2025 08:01
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Ludhiana, November 07, 2025: Gurmeet Singh Kular, President, and Manjinder Singh Sachdeva, General Secretary of the Federation of Industrial & Commercial Organization (FICO), have urged Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu to ensure the early commencement of operations at Halwara International Airport without further delay.
In a joint statement, they said that the people of Ludhiana—particularly the business community—continue to face immense inconvenience due to the airport’s non-operational status. The long-delayed project, envisioned to enhance Ludhiana’s air connectivity and support industrial growth, has missed several deadlines.
They highlighted that the airport’s civil terminal was constructed to meet a long-standing demand of Ludhiana’s industrialists. Known as a major hub for bicycle, textile, manufacturing, and export industries, the city urgently needs direct air connectivity to facilitate trade and business expansion.
The Airport Authority of India (AAI) had earlier announced July 27, 2025, as the inauguration date for the airport, but the opening was postponed without explanation. In the absence of air services, travelers are compelled to rely on overcrowded trains like Shatabdi and Vande Bharat or undertake long road journeys.
FICO appealed to the government to expedite all pending approvals and make the Halwara International Airport operational at the earliest to give a much-needed boost to Ludhiana’s economy.
