Ludhiana: Punjab’s long-awaited dream of commercial flight operations from Halwara International Airport finally became a reality on Friday as the airport handled its first scheduled commercial flight.
The first flight landed at the airport at 7:05 am carrying around 120 passengers from Delhi to Ludhiana.
Soon after, at 7:55 am, the return flight departed for Delhi with nearly 100 passengers onboard.
The inaugural Delhi-Ludhiana flight also carried Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu along with Rajya Sabha MPs Rajinder Gupta and Vikramjit Singh Sahney.
Daily flights to operate from Halwara
Air India will now operate two daily flights between Ludhiana and Delhi from Halwara Airport.
The travel time between the two cities is expected to be around 1 hour and 15 minutes.
According to the Airports Authority of India, passengers will be required to reach the airport at least 90 minutes before departure.
Airport officials also stated that terminal entry will close one hour before scheduled flight timings.
PM Modi inaugurated airport in February
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had virtually inaugurated the Halwara International Airport on February 1, 2026, from Jalandhar.
The inauguration event was attended by Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu, Ravneet Singh Bittu and Rajya Sabha MP Rajinder Gupta.
