User:Xkd2626/sandbox

Chandigarh Airport serves the city of Chandigarh, states of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. The airport's new terminal building for both domestic and international flights was inaugurated on 11 September 2015, by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The airport runway is located in the Union territory of Chandigarh while the new terminal is located in Punjab. There are 20 flights per day with nonstop flights to Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Srinagar.

Punjab and Haryana each have 24.5% stake and the Airports Authority of India holds the rest of 51% stake in the new terminal building.

In August 2016, Indigo Airlines and Air India Express announced international flights from September 2016.



History
Chandigarh airport had operated all its Civil/Commercial operations from Civil enclave in the Indian Air Force Station. Indian airlines started operating flights from Chandigarh to Delhi in the 1970s. The first expansion of the airport building was in 2008. The civil air terminal of Chandigarh was declared a Customs Airport on August 19, 2011 making it eligible for international flights

Naming controversy
In 2009, Punjab Legislative Assembly unanimously passed a resolution naming Chandigarh Airport as Shaheed-E-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh International Airport after Revolutionary Freedom fighter of India, Sardar Bhagat Singh as decided during his birth centenary celebrations in 2007. Leader of opposition of Haryana Legislative Assembly, Abhay Singh Chautala supported Punjab's claim of naming it as Shaheed-E-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh International Airport, Mohali as the airport is situated in Jheourheri village of Mohali. Indian Youth Congress started march (padyatra) for naming the Chandigarh airport after Bhagat Singh. People's Party of Punjab members protested against Central and Haryana governments for not naming airport as Shaheed-E-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh International Airport, Mohali. In October 2015, Shaheed Bhagat Singh's nephews Professor Jagmohan Singh and Abhey Singh Sandhu and Aam Aadmi Party MP Dharamvir Gandhi alongside Youths from Punjab and several other states, including activists from the tricity, assembled at Tribune Chowk and demanded to change the name to Shaheed-E-Azam Sardar Bhagat Singh International Airport. On 17 December 2015, Communist Party of India (Marxist) flayed the Centre and the Haryana Government for trying to name Chandigarh Airport after RSS ideologue Mangal Sein, instead of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh as previous Hooda Government was also in support of naming it after Bhagat Singh.

International flights controversy
On Dec 24, 2015 the Mohali Industries Association filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Punjab and Haryana High Court for non-operation of international flights after an amount of Rs. 1400 crores was spent on the airport.

After numerous hearings at Punjab and Haryana High Court and a long wait, Indigo Airlines and Air India Express announced flights to Dubai and Sharjah respectively starting September 2016.

Runways
The present runway 11/29 has a length of 9000 ft. The runway uses a CAT 1 ILS system.The construction of CAT 3 ILS is planned. Indian Air Force owns and operates the runways.

Flights to this airport are limited to operate between 7 am to 8 pm.

Terminal


This eco-friendly airport, one of its kind in India was built by Larsen and Toubro. The indoors of the airport laid with plants, brings a feeling of a botanical garden. A new International Terminal built at village of Jheourheri in Mohali, Punjab, India. became operational on October 19, 2015.The old domestic terminal will now be used as only a flying club. Construction of the new terminal included two link taxiways to the terminal and cargo complex. The terminal has three aero-bridges, apron for parking three in contact and ten remote parking stands for aircraft. The departures are on the first floor and arrivals on the ground floor. The first phase terminal covering 53,000 sq metre has a capacity of 1,600 passengers at a time and a parking space for 150 vehicles. The project has Punjab, Airport Authority of India and Haryana as partners.

The new terminal was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 11 September 2015 and domestic flights started operation on 19 October 2015. Initially IndiGo and SpiceJet got DGCA approval for operating flights to Dubai but no firm launch dates were announced.

This airport is not a greenfield airport but uses the runway of the present Indian air force base.

Connectivity
The new terminal is located 14 km from Chandigarh City center in Sector 17. Chandigarh Transport Undertaking (CTU) operates public AC bus to Sector 17. Taxi service is available to Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali.