Industry demands dual (Defence & Civil) use of Halwara Airport, Ludhiana

Ludhiana, August 7, 2018: A delegation of Industry under the Chairmanship of S. Onkar Singh Pahwa Chairman Avon Cycles & Patron-in-Chief FICO along with Shri Shwait Malik Member Parliament Rajya Sabha, S. Gurmeet Singh Kular President FICO and Shri Ravinder Arora Distt. President BJP Ludhiana met Shri Jayant Sinha Minister of State for Civil Aviation Government of India demanded Halwara Airport be operational for Domestic Flights from Shri Jayant Sinha Honourable Union Minister for Civil Aviation

The delegation explained how Ludhiana is the largest district of Punjab with around 34 lakhs of population. And is the vibrant industrial hub for cycle, auto parts, woolen & hosiery, machine parts and industrial goods, among others. Ludhiana is Asia's largest cluster for bicycle/ its parts manufacturing (around 8 million cycles per year). Ludhiana produces 60% of India's tractor parts and a large portion of auto and two-wheeler parts. Many parts used in German cars like BMW and Mercedes are exclusively produced in Ludhiana to satisfy the world requirement. It is one of the largest manufacturers of sewing machines. Hand tools and precision industrial equipment. The apparel industry Ludhiana is famous all over India for its woolen sweaters and cotton T-shirts; most of the top Indian woolen apparel brands are based in Ludhiana. In 2009 the World Bank rated Ludhiana as best city for business environment. The huge population including NRIs, several thousand industries base and high economic importance have made Ludhiana a natural candidate for a major airport.

We have now entered an era wherein the absence of air connectivity is not only hindering the city’s commerce, but also dissuading many from making further investment for growth that has remained the characteristic mark of the world famous industrial hub of the state of Punjab. “Government of India should consider promoting of Halwara airport of Ludhiana for dual use – civil use, apart from the Defence use. This will in line with around 22 out of 80 airports which have such dual use in India”. We look forward to a positive outcome under your dynamic leadership said S. Onkar Singh Pahwa.

Shri Jayant Sinha Honourable Union Minister for Civil Aviation, assured the delegation that the dual use of Halwara Airport will be notified soon, as connectivity is the need of the hour, and Ludhiana is one of the major industrial city of North India.

Amongst Present were S. Onkar Singh Pahwa Patron in Chief FICO, S. Gurmeet Singh Kular President FICO, Shri Rajeev Jain Secretary FICO, Sh. Gurdev Sharma, K B Thakur Secretary General AICMA.