Halwara Airport Ludhiana (IATA: HWR) - a civil enclave inside the IAF's Halwara Air Force Station, 32km from Ludhiana city - was inaugurated on 1 February 2026 by PM Modi after nearly three decades of delays and over 10 missed deadlines since 2022. Built at ₹54.67 crore as an AAI–Punjab Government joint venture, it handles 300 peak-hour passengers and up to 2 lakh annually. Air India began commercial operations in March 2026. Raja Warring served as Co-Chairman of the Civil Aviation Committee for the project and participated in the Ministry of Civil Aviation Demands for Grants debate in Parliament on 19 March 2025.
After nearly three decades of proposals, delays, missed deadlines, and parliamentary interventions, Ludhiana finally has a functioning civil airport. The Halwara Airport Ludhiana - formally known as the Shaheed Kartar Singh Sarabha International Airport - was inaugurated on 1 February 2026 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a virtual ceremony, and received BCAS operational security clearance in January 2026. Flight operations by Air India commenced in March 2026, connecting Ludhiana to Delhi and other key destinations.
The operationalisation of the Halwara civil airport ends a wait that stretched across multiple state governments, three decades of planning, and a long sequence of construction delays that left Ludhiana - one of North India's largest industrial cities - without a functional civil airport for years while comparable cities across India built and expanded their aviation infrastructure.
What Is the Halwara Airport?
The Halwara Airport Ludhiana is a civil aviation enclave developed within the Indian Air Force's Halwara Air Force Station, located approximately 32 kilometres southwest of Ludhiana city in Aitiana village, Ludhiana district, Punjab. It is designated a dual-use facility - civilian flight operations are conducted from a dedicated terminal alongside the IAF's continuing military operations at the base.
The airport carries the IATA code HWR and the ICAO designation VIHX. It is Punjab's third international airport, after Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport in Amritsar and Chandigarh Airport.
The civil terminal was developed as a joint venture between the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the Government of Punjab at a total cost of ₹54.67 crore. The terminal building covers 2,000 square metres and is designed to handle 300 passengers during peak hours and up to two lakh passengers annually. The runway is capable of accommodating Code C aircraft including the Airbus A321 and Boeing 737, enabling both domestic and eventual international services.
A Timeline of Delays - From Proposal to Inauguration
The Halwara civil airport project has one of the most protracted development histories of any airport in India. The following is a verified chronology of key milestones and missed deadlines:
Pre-2022: The concept of a civil enclave at Halwara Air Force Station was discussed for decades, but formal development work began only after GLADA (Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority) acquired 161.27 acres of land for the project.
January 2022: First missed inauguration deadline.
June 2022: Second missed deadline.
2022–2023: A sequence of further missed target dates - June, July, August 15, August 30, September 30, and October 30, 2023 - followed as construction of taxiways, the boundary wall, approach road, and internal infrastructure lagged.
February 2024: Another missed deadline, despite reports of construction progressing to advanced stages.
February 2025: The airport received its official IATA code HWR - a mandatory step before commercial operations could begin.
May 2025: Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann formally requested the Ministry of Civil Aviation to operationalise the civil terminal and shift flights from the ageing Sahnewal airport to Halwara.
June 2025: Structural works and interior finishing of the terminal building concluded.
July 27, 2025: A scheduled virtual inauguration by Prime Minister Modi was deferred due to technical delays - a postponement that drew political reaction from across party lines.
December 2, 2025: Rajya Sabha MP Rajinder Gupta raised the operationalisation of the Halwara civil airport in Parliament during Zero Hour, citing the terminal's capacity to handle 2,500 daily passengers and the economic urgency for Ludhiana's industry.
December 29, 2025: Air India cleared the airport for five-days-a-week operations and sought additional slots from the IAF.
January 15, 2026: The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) completed its final security audit and granted operational approval.
January 28, 2026: A final site inspection was conducted by Ludhiana DC Himanshu Jain and SSP (Rural) Ankur Gupta.
February 1, 2026: Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually inaugurated the terminal building. On the same occasion, Adampur Airport in Jalandhar was renamed Sri Guru Ravidas Ji Airport, Adampur.
March 2026: Air India commenced regular commercial flight operations from Halwara Airport Ludhiana, with the Ludhiana–Delhi route as the first service.
Raja Warring's Role - Parliamentary Advocacy and Civil Aviation Committee
Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, as the Member of Parliament from Ludhiana, served as Co-Chairman of the Civil Aviation Committee for Halwara and Sahnewal airports alongside Dr Amar Singh, Congress MP from Fatehgarh Sahib who chaired the committee.
Throughout 2024 and 2025, Warring and Dr Amar Singh maintained regular coordination with the Ministry of Civil Aviation on the project's progress. In July 2025, when reports circulated about a planned virtual inauguration on 27 July being imminent, Dr Amar Singh - in a statement also made on behalf of Warring - clarified that neither MP had received formal communication from the Civil Aviation Ministry confirming any inauguration date, and that as per established protocol, both would be informed before any date was finalised. This caution proved correct, as the July 2025 inauguration was subsequently deferred.
Warring raised the Halwara airport issue through the Demands for Grants for the Ministry of Civil Aviation - one of his 18 verified debates in the 18th Lok Sabha as recorded by PRS Legislative Research. His participation in the Civil Aviation Demands for Grants debate on 19 March 2025 was a direct parliamentary mechanism for pressing the Ministry on Ludhiana air travel connectivity.
The airport's operationalisation is a tangible outcome relevant to his constituency work as Ludhiana MP - directly benefiting the city's 1.5 lakh MSMEs, its textile and bicycle manufacturing clusters, and the broader Malwa region's access to domestic and international air connectivity. Union Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu stated at the inauguration that the airport would boost trade, industry, tourism, healthcare, and education across Punjab's Malwa belt.
For more on Raja Warring's complete parliamentary record, his major campaigns and his work in the 18th Lok Sabha, visit the articles section at rajawarring.com.
Why Halwara Airport Matters for Ludhiana
Ludhiana is Punjab's largest city and one of North India's most significant industrial centres, contributing over ₹72,000 crore annually to national economic output. It is home to India's largest concentration of bicycle and bicycle parts manufacturers, a dominant textile and hosiery cluster, and over 1.5 lakh micro, small, and medium enterprises.
For decades, the absence of a direct civil airport created a structural disadvantage. Exporters, industrialists, and travellers were forced to use Chandigarh or Amritsar airports - both over 100 kilometres away - adding time, cost, and logistical friction to every journey. The operationalisation of Halwara civil airport removes that disadvantage and places Ludhiana on a par with industrial cities like Jaipur, Indore, Surat, and Coimbatore, all of which have had functioning airports for years.
For residents of the Malwa region and the industrial community of Ludhiana, the Halwara airport is not merely a convenience - it is infrastructure that was long overdue.
Join the Movement
Ludhiana waited three decades for an airport. When the political will exists and parliamentary pressure is sustained, things get done. Raja Warring has fought for Ludhiana's connectivity - in Parliament, in committee, and on the ground. There is still more to do: for Ludhiana's workers, its farmers, and its industry.
If you believe Punjab and Ludhiana deserve leaders who keep pushing until the job is done - stand with the movement.
Throughout 2024 and 2025, Warring and Dr Amar Singh maintained regular coordination with the Ministry of Civil Aviation on the project's progress. In July 2025, when reports circulated about a planned virtual inauguration on 27 July being imminent, Dr Amar Singh - in a statement also made on behalf of Warring - clarified that neither MP had received formal communication from the Civil Aviation Ministry confirming any inauguration date, and that as per established protocol, both would be informed before any date was finalised. This caution proved correct, as the July 2025 inauguration was subsequently deferred.
Warring raised the Halwara airport issue through the Demands for Grants for the Ministry of Civil Aviation - one of his 18 verified debates in the 18th Lok Sabha as recorded by PRS Legislative Research. His participation in the Civil Aviation Demands for Grants debate on 19 March 2025 was a direct parliamentary mechanism for pressing the Ministry on Ludhiana air travel connectivity.
The airport's operationalisation is a tangible outcome relevant to his constituency work as Ludhiana MP - directly benefiting the city's 1.5 lakh MSMEs, its textile and bicycle manufacturing clusters, and the broader Malwa region's access to domestic and international air connectivity. Union Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu stated at the inauguration that the airport would boost trade, industry, tourism, healthcare, and education across Punjab's Malwa belt.
For more on Raja Warring's complete parliamentary record, his major campaigns and his work in the 18th Lok Sabha, visit the articles section at rajawarring.com.
Why Halwara Airport Matters for Ludhiana
Ludhiana is Punjab's largest city and one of North India's most significant industrial centres, contributing over ₹72,000 crore annually to national economic output. It is home to India's largest concentration of bicycle and bicycle parts manufacturers, a dominant textile and hosiery cluster, and over 1.5 lakh micro, small, and medium enterprises.
For decades, the absence of a direct civil airport created a structural disadvantage. Exporters, industrialists, and travellers were forced to use Chandigarh or Amritsar airports - both over 100 kilometres away - adding time, cost, and logistical friction to every journey. The operationalisation of Halwara civil airport removes that disadvantage and places Ludhiana on a par with industrial cities like Jaipur, Indore, Surat, and Coimbatore, all of which have had functioning airports for years.
For residents of the Malwa region and the industrial community of Ludhiana, the Halwara airport is not merely a convenience - it is infrastructure that was long overdue.
Join the Movement
Ludhiana waited three decades for an airport. When the political will exists and parliamentary pressure is sustained, things get done. Raja Warring has fought for Ludhiana's connectivity - in Parliament, in committee, and on the ground. There is still more to do: for Ludhiana's workers, its farmers, and its industry.
If you believe Punjab and Ludhiana deserve leaders who keep pushing until the job is done - stand with the movement.