Pantnagar Airport (IATA: PGH, ICAO: VIPT) is a domestic airport located in Pantnagar of Udham Singh Nagar district in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. It is operated by the Airports Authority of India. It is the nearest airport to the Kumaon division and located in the middle of Haldwani and Rudrapur, the two largest cities of Kumaon. It is only (26 km) from Haldwani City. Kumaon hill stations of Nainital (65 km), Bhimtal (50 km), Ranikhet (110 km) and Almora (120 km), Bareilly (65 km) and the Jim Corbett National Park (120 km) are also nearby.
History
The airport was able to accommodate only small aircraft until 2008, when the length of the runway was increased to 4,500 feet to accommodate larger turboprop aircraft at a cost of ₹75 crores.
The Government of Uttarakhand had offered a subsidy to Jagson Airlines between 2005 and 2008, to undertake daily scheduled flights between Pantnagar and Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi. The annual subsidy was not renewed in 2008 when the runway length was increased. The government then invited Deccan Aviation to fly on the Delhi – Pantnagar route. Kingfisher Airlines, which took over Deccan Aviation, undertook seasonal flights to Pantnagar as poor weather did not allow it to fly around the year. The airport had been without a commercial service ever since Kingfisher ceased operations. Pantnagar Airport, now, has daily Alliance Air flights to and from IGI, Delhi (since 1 Oct 2014). and Air heritage flight for Pithoragarh.
In August 2015, Airport Advisory Committee said that the Airport will be developed in cargo hub and the length of the runway will be increased from its present length of 1,372m to 1,865m.
The Airport has facility of Meteorological services by the India Meteorological Department since its inception.
Proposed International Airport
On 31 July 2020, the Pantnagar Airport was announced to be developed as the first international airport in Uttarakhand by the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Trivendra Singh Rawat.
The international airport will be constructed in around 1100 acres of land. The airport is proposed to be expanded in two phases. The Pantnagar University land was selected for the construction of the new Greenfield Airport.
Airlines and destinations
| Airlines | Destinations | Refs. |
|---|---|---|
| Air Heritage | Pithoragarh | |
| Alliance Air | Dehradun, | |
| IndiGo | Dehradun, Delhi (both begin 27 March 2022) |