Lack of regular flights from state’s airports irks High Court

The Himachal Pradesh High Court has taken serious note of the lack of regular flight operations from the state’s three airports — Shimla, Kullu, and Kangra — and has sought responses from both the Central and state governments.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Gurmeet Singh Sandhawalia and Justice Jiya Lal Bhardwaj passed these directions during the hearing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that was originally filed concerning the issue of bird menace at Kangra (Gaggal) airport.

During the hearing, the court expanded the scope of the PIL to include the issue of irregular flight services across all airports in Himachal Pradesh.

The court was informed that despite having three airports in the state, the Union of India has not ensured adequate flight operations, causing grave inconvenience to residents and tourists.

The Bench observed that, being a hilly state where travel by road is difficult, air connectivity is crucial, especially since the tourism industry is a major source of revenue for Himachal Pradesh.

It was further brought to the court’s attention that at Shimla and Kullu airports, usually only one flight operates and even that service lacks regularity.

The High Court has directed that the Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation, be impleaded as a respondent and has issued notice to the Central Government through the Ministry. The state government has been directed to file a status report detailing the steps or requests it has made to ensure regular flight operations from these airports.

The case will next be heard on December 16.