Srinagar, Mar 27 (KNO): The Union Government said that no proposal has been received from the Ladakh administration for conducting a feasibility study for a civilian airport in Kargil.
According to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), this was revealed in a response by Minister of State for Civil Aviation in the Lok Sabha to an unstarred question raised by Shri Sudhakar Singh on the status of airport construction in the region.
As per the Greenfield Airports (GFA) Policy, 2008, a two-stage process is required for new airport approvals—'Site Clearance' followed by 'In-Principle' approval. While a multi-disciplinary team from the Airports Authority of India (AAI), Indian Air Force, and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) visited potential sites in Wakha, Kargil, Turtuk, Diskit, Nyoma, and Padum/Zanskar in 2021, none were found suitable for airport construction.
The government clarified that the UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) scheme, which focuses on reviving unserved and underserved airports, does not cover the development of new airports. However, the existing Kargil Airport was identified for operations under UDAN's second round, with flights connecting Kargil to Srinagar and Jammu awarded to private operators.
Despite this, the awarded routes were cancelled due to the non-readiness of Kargil Airport, with no progress since. These routes were reinvited under UDAN 4.2 and awarded to SpiceJet for 19-seater aircraft operations but were cancelled once again for the same reasons. The government has now reopened bids for the Kargil-Srinagar and Kargil-Jammu routes under UDAN 5.4, but as of now, no valid proposals have been received.
Responding to concerns about financial support for airline operators due to Kargil’s strategic location and extreme weather conditions, the government said that under UDAN, Viability Gap Funding (VGF) and concessions are provided by the Central Government, State Governments, and airport operators—(KNO)