Heavy Rains Cause 40% Flight Cancellations at Kangra Airport in the Last Two Months

New Delhi: The Kangra Airport in Himachal Pradesh has experienced about 40 per cent cancellation of flights due to rains during the last two months, officials said on Saturday. 

Kangra Airport is the biggest airport in the state and has the maximum number of flights arriving here every day. According to the airport director, Dhirendra Singh, the administration has decided to reduce the visibility range from 5 km to around 3 km to minimise the cancellation of lights. 

"The rains have affected the entire Himachal Pradesh, and the monsoon has also affected the flights' arrival at Kangra airport. Since we need 5 km of visibility to land at Kangra airport, we can say that over 30 to 40% flights have been cancelled here during the last two months... It was our prime agenda to reduce the visibility range from 5 km to around 3 km to minimise the cancellation of lights, and in this direction, we have achieved a milestone," Dhirendra Singh said. 

Kangra Airport Director Dhirendra Singh also informed that an agreement between the Airport Authority of India and the Indian Air Force has been reached in which the Air Force has agreed to hand over a 12-nautical-mile area of the airport. He added that this will help the authorities to reduce the visibility range from 5 km to around 3 km. 

"The airspace of Kangra airport, in a way, remains under the control of the Indian Air Force, and we were not able to make any ATC procedures... The airport authority of India took this matter very seriously, and after having so many meetings with the concerned authorities, it has been decided that the Air Force will hand over a 12-nautical-mile area to us. Now we are preparing the procedures, and we have also taken the airlines in that loop. The DGCA, airlines and airport authority are working on it, and we are trying to reduce the visibility range from 5 km to around 3 km, and this will definitely minimise the cancellation of the flights here," he said. 

Heavy rains in Himachal Pradesh have claimed 355 lives, including 194 in rain-related incidents such as landslides, flash floods, drowning, lightning strikes, and other weather-triggered causes, while 161 have died in road accidents, according to the State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA). 

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