The long-awaited Halwara Airport near Ludhiana is now ready bringing faster travel and new opportunities for the city as the project which was pending for nearly 30 years has finally been completed under the Punjab government led by Bhagwant Mann. The airport has received its official code ‘HWR’ which means it is now recognized on the global aviation map and this is a major step for Ludhiana known as Punjab’s industrial hub.
Till now people from Ludhiana had to travel 5 to 6 hours by road to reach Delhi airport and now with Halwara Airport becoming operational this journey can now be completed in about only 60 minutes by flight.
Flights are expected to run throughout the week with support from Air India making travel easier for both passengers and businessmen.
The idea of building an airport at Halwara had been around since the 1990s but saw little progress and the project picked up speed after a review by the Punjab government in November 2022 and soon after funds were released to restart construction work.
Cabinet Minister Sanjeev Arora played a key role in pushing the project forward and several meetings were held with aviation authorities and airline officials to complete the work and start operations.
November 22, 2022: Project reviewed and work restarted
December 11, 2022: Funds released for construction
February 4, 2025: Airport gets ‘HWR’ code
January 15, 2026: Final safety checks completed
February 1, 2026: Airport terminal inaugurated
Ludhiana has a large industry including hosiery and cycle manufacturing worth around ₹50,000 crore and with better air connectivity it is expected to help local businesses connect with other cities and countries more easily and experts believe this will also attract more investors to the city and support economic growth.