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Shillong Airport

Coordinates: 25°42′13″N 091°58′43″E / 25.70361°N 91.97861°E / 25.70361; 91.97861
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Shillong Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OperatorAirports Authority of India
ServesShillong
LocationUmroi, Shillong, Meghalaya, India
Hub forIndiGo
Elevation AMSL887 m / 2,910 ft
Coordinates25°42′13″N 091°58′43″E / 25.70361°N 91.97861°E / 25.70361; 91.97861
WebsiteShillong Airport
Map
SHL is located in Meghalaya
SHL
SHL
Location of Airport in Meghalaya
SHL is located in India
SHL
SHL
SHL (India)
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
04/22 1,829 6,000 Concrete
Statistics (April 2023 - March 2024)
Passengers

Aircraft movements

Cargo tonnage		154,658 (Increase 40.9%)

3,839 (Increase 20%)

—
Source: AAI[1][2][3]

Shillong Airport (IATA: SHL, ICAO: VEBI) is a domestic airport serving Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya, India. It is located at Umroi, situated 30 km (19 mi) from the city centre.

History

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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.[4] The new terminal building, built at a cost of Rs. 30 crore, was inaugurated in June 2011.[5]

In 2015, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) was allotted land for the further expansion of the airport.[6] 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.[7] The airport received its Category 3C license from the Indian DGCA in June 2019, allowing operations of Q400/ ATR 72 aircraft.[8] IndiGo began operations using an ATR-72 from Shillong on 20 July 2019 under the UDAN scheme with a daily flight from Kolkata airport.[9]

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.[10] 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.[11] The Meghalaya Chief minister, Conrad Sangma stated that it would be difficult to go ahead with expansion of the airport at that cost.[12]

In 2024, recent developments in the Shillong Airport expansion project aim to improve its capacity to handle larger aircraft. The project includes extending the existing runway by 900 meters to the south, which would enable aircraft like the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 to operate. This expansion would require an additional 16 acres of land and 6 acres for the apron, where aircraft would be parked.

One of the key challenges for this project is obtaining exemptions from central government guidelines, as the estimated cost for necessary land acquisition and construction could reach ₹500 crore. While the environmental concerns regarding nearby hillocks were initially significant, officials have indicated that the extension plan to the southern end should avoid cutting into the hills, minimizing the environmental impact. The state government is working closely with the Airport Authority of India (AAI) and the central government to move the project forward. [13]

Airlines and destinations

[edit]
AirlinesDestinations
Alliance AirAizawl, Dimapur, Guwahati, Lilabari,[14] Tezpur
IndiGo Dibrugarh, Imphal,[15] Kolkata
SpiceJet Delhi,[16] Kolkata[17]

Statistics

[edit]
Annual passenger traffic at SHL airport. See Wikidata query.

References

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  1. ^ "Annexure III – Passenger Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  2. ^ "Annexure II – Aircraft Movement Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  3. ^ "Annexure IV – Freight Movement Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
  4. ^ "Expansion of Air Connectivity in North-East". Pib.nic.in. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  5. ^ "Shillong airport's new terminal to open on Saturday". The Economic Times. 22 June 2011. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
  6. ^ "Land handed over to AAI for Umroi Airport expansion work". The Shillong Times. 8 January 2015. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
  7. ^ Newman, Natalie (16 September 2017). "India's Shillong airport to be north eastern hub". Ch-aviation. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  8. ^ "Umroi Airport gets nod to install advanced ILS". Shillong Times. 18 June 2019. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  9. ^ "IndiGo service begins at Shillong". The Assam Tribune. 20 July 2019. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  10. ^ "Defence ministry refuses to give land for Shillong airport". Daily News & Analysis. 15 February 2011. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
  11. ^ Press Trust of India (3 July 2019). "Give list of hurdles that impede Boeing jet landing in Shillong: HC to DGCA". Business Standard. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  12. ^ "IFinancial probs deter expansion of Shillong airport". The Northeast Today. 20 July 2019. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  13. ^ "Meghalaya Shillong Airport expansion plans gain momentum, face regulatory hurdles". India Today NE. 24 September 2024.
  14. ^ "Three new flights connecting Assam, Arunachal, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram launched; check schedule". Times Now. 30 October 2022. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  15. ^ "Three new flights to Raipur, Shillong from Kolkata | Kolkata News". The Times of India. 16 May 2019.
  16. ^ "SpiceJet connects Shillong to national capital". The Shillong Times. 25 February 2023. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  17. ^ "SpiceJet Flight Schedule". SpiceJet. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
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