Fly High
The decision by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approving a Rs 1,677 crore proposal for the expansion and development of the civil enclave at Srinagar International Airport, aimed at strengthening air connectivity and infrastructure is a welcome step.
The decision has come at the right time as Kashmir Valley has been experiencing a huge influx of tourists during the past few years. Though the year 2025 was a bit dampener on tourist inflow owing to Pahalgam incident, but still the valley saw more than 1.25 Cr tourist arrivals.
The expansion project at Srinagar airport includes the construction of a new integrated terminal building and associated infrastructure, along with barracks for security personnel.
The airport is operated by the Airports Authority of India within the Budgam airbase of the Indian Air Force. It was designated as an international airport in 2005 and is located around 12 km from the city centre.
Notably, the proposed civil enclave will have a terminal building with a total built-up area of 71,500 square metres, including 20,659 square metres of the existing structure. It is designed to handle 2,900 passengers during peak hours and cater to an annual capacity of 10 million passengers.
The expansion plan includes augmentation of the apron to accommodate 15 aircraft parking bays — nine existing and six proposed — including one Code E bay for wide-body aircraft. The 3,658-metre-long and 45-metre-wide runway will continue to be operated by the IAF.
Srinagar airport is considered as one of the busiest across the country and this airport serves as a gateway to the beautiful Kashmir valley as most of the tourists wishing to visit the valley prefer to travel by air.
The airport not only needs to reflect the best of services for the visitors but technically too, the airport needs to be the best as the region is prone to witness disturbances due to weather.
Srinagar airport needs to be the best in terms of night landing facilities besides being able to handle flights even during weather disturbances. Though the airports efficiency has been among the top performing airports in the country but flight delays and cancellations remain an issue during bad weather conditions.
Similarly, services for the visitors also need to be top notch as many foreign tourists too are frequent visitors to the valley which makes it mandatory that all types of services are upgraded.
Importantly, the approved project also lays emphasis on sustainability, with provisions for water harvesting, energy-efficient systems, and the use of eco-friendly materials. It is targeted to achieve a 5-star rating under the Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA).
