60 pc work completed; 8-9 months required for finishing job
Nishikant Khajuria
JAMMU, Mar 10: Even as the ongoing work on Jammu Airport expansion is now proceeding on a satisfactory pace, deadline for completion of the project is likely to get pushed forward due to initial slowdowns because of labour shortage aftermath Operation Sindoor and other reasons.
Follow the Daily Excelsior channel on WhatsApp
Official sources told the Excelsior that almost 60 percent work on the expansion project has been executed till date and it will take at least 8-9 months to finish the pending job.
So far, executed tasks include completion of basement structures, elevated road for departure complex and around 50 percent work on Apron, sources added.
Even as the ongoing work is proceeding on a satisfactory pace and there is no pending issue of land transfer, deadline for completion of the project is likely to jump ahead from June 2026 to ending of this year or beginning of 2027, sources explained.
Pertinent to mention that June 2026 is the deadline for completion of Rs 9000 crore project of new state of art facilities loaded Jammu Airport with almost three times enhanced capacity from the existing one.
According to the sources, apprehension were already there that deadline for the completion of Jammu Airport expansion project might jump from 2026 to 2027 as migration of engaged labourers to their native states during Operation Sindoor last year kept the work completely stalled for more than two months while non-availability of required sand and soil for filling up the Apron area had also slowed down the progress.
Besides building a strong, sustainable and future-ready aviation infrastructure to cater to the needs in the next 10-15 years, the project includes expansion of the Jammu Airport from 14,500 square meters area to 40,000 square meters towards Belicharana with entry and exit points towards fourth Tawi Bridge in Bhagwati Nagar.
The capacity of modernized Airport will be almost three times of the existing one to handle a rush of passengers in the near future and the new building of the terminal is coming up under five star rating. The building will have 36 check-in counters, six aerobridges, aprons, 16 self check-in kiosks, 11 security check lanes and an apron for parking 13 code C-aircraft.
At present, seven aircrafts can be parked at a time but with expansion of the airport in the first phase, 13 aircrafts may be parked in one go and this facility will be increased in the second phase. Currently, 30 to 35 flights are operating on daily basis at Jammu airport and with the new terminals and added aircrafts, the operation will be enhanced.
According to the sources, once the new Airport building becomes operational, the existing one will be used for cargo etc as it will not be merged with the new one.
As per the design of the new Airport building, it will look like a temple shaped structure. With an enhanced capacity, the new state of the art Airport building will cater the rush of visitors and also boost the economy of J&K as cargo carrier aircraft will also operate from here to facilitate the import and export of goods.
The post Deadline for completion of Jammu Airport expansion project likely to jump ahead appeared first on Daily Excelsior.