Shillong Airport | |||||||||||
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| Summary | |||||||||||
| Airport type | Public | ||||||||||
| Operator | Airports Authority of India | ||||||||||
| Serves | Shillong, Meghalaya, India | ||||||||||
| Location | Umroi | ||||||||||
| Elevation AMSL | 887 m / 2,910 ft | ||||||||||
| Coordinates | 25°42′13″N 091°58′43″E / 25.70361°N 91.97861°E | ||||||||||
| Website | aai.aero/allAirports/shillong | ||||||||||
| Map | |||||||||||
)  SHL Location of Airport in India ) SHL SHL (India) | |||||||||||
| Runways | |||||||||||
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Shillong Airport, (IATA: SHL, ICAO: VEBI) is a civilian airport located at Umroi, 30 km (19 mi) from Shillong, Meghalaya, India.
History
The airport was constructed in the mid-1960s and became operational in the mid-1970s. Land measuring 224.16 acres was acquired for expansion of the airport in 2009. The work commenced in June 2009 and was completed in May 2010.[1] The new terminal building, built at a cost of Rs. 30 crore, was inaugurated in June 2011.[2]
In 2015, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) was allotted land for the further expansion of the airport.[3] In 2017, AAI upgraded infrastructure at Shillong, with the installation of an Instrument landing system (ILS), construction of two refuelling facilities, extension of runway and removal of flight-path obstructions.[4] The airport received its Category 3C license from the Indian DGCA in June 2019, allowing operations of Q400/ ATR 72 aircraft.[5] IndiGo began operations using an ATR-72 from Shillong on 20 July 2019 under the UDAN scheme with a daily flight from Kolkata airport.[6]
The present 6,000 ft runway was planned to be extended to about 8,000 feet to facilitate operation of narrow body jet aircraft like Boeing 737 and Airbus A320.[7] However, this would require the cutting of clusters of hillocks that would come in the way of approaching aircraft after the runway was extended. The cost of this obstacle removal was ₹ 8,000 Crores.[8] The Meghalaya Chief minister stated that it would be difficult to go ahead with expansion of the airport at that cost.[9]
Airlines and destinations
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| IndiGo | Kolkata[10] |
| FlyBig | New Delhi |
References
- ^ "Expansion of Air Connectivity in North-East". Pib.nic.in. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
- ^ "Shillong airport's new terminal to open on Saturday". The Economic Times. 22 June 2011. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
- ^ "Land handed over to AAI for Umroi Airport expansion work". The Shillong Times. 8 January 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
- ^ "India's Shillong airport to be north eastern hub". Ch-aviation. 16 September 2017. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
- ^ "Umroi Airport gets nod to install advanced ILS". Shillong Times. 18 June 2019. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
- ^ "IndiGo service begins at Shillong". The Assam Tribune. 20 July 2019. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
- ^ "Defence ministry refuses to give land for Shillong airport". Daily News & Analysis. 15 February 2011. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
- ^ "IGive list of hurdles that impede Boeing jet landing in Shillong: HC to DGCA". Business Standard. 3 July 2019. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
- ^ "IFinancial probs deter expansion of Shillong airport". The Northeast Today. 20 July 2019. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
- ^ "Three new flights to Raipur, Shillong from Kolkata | Kolkata News". The Times of India.
External links
- Official site at the Airports Authority of India
- Airport information for VEBI at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.