Dehradun flights by month-end

Jollygrant airport near Dehradun would become operational next week after a gap of more than one year. The airport had been shut down for upgradation. Officials said the airstrip has been ready for the past one month and was also tested during the landing of a Boeing chartered plane last month. The small airstrip at Jollygrant airport, 20 km from here, was extended to 2,140 meter in length and 45 meter in width to facilitate the landing of bigger aircraft, including Airbus A-320s.The airstrip has been widened at a cost of Rs 75 crore.

Already a temporary terminal building has come up and the work on the main air-conditioned terminal building has started. The main terminal building is expected to be ready in a year.

Air Deccan flights are expected to start by March 30 with the help of a mobile air traffic control tower. “We hope to restart flights on the Dehradun-Delhi route twice a day by this month end. We would be restarting with 42-seater ATR aircraft,” said Pankaj Shah of Air Deccan.