?A total of 804 acres from various departments, including G.B. Pant Agricultural University, has been acquired for the airport?s expansion. Of this, 524.7 acres have been registered under the civil aviation department, with over 233.2 acres pending registration. It may take over four months to finalise the transfer of all acquired land,? said Monika Dembla, Director, Pantnagar Airport.

An aero city is also being planned outside the airport to provide high-level facilities for passengers, entrepreneurs, and tourists. Last month, in a high-level meeting chaired by the chief secretary, officials from the civil aviation department, PWD, State Industrial Development Corporation of Uttarakhand Ltd (SIDCUL) Pantnagar, and other relevant departments agreed to construct the aero city. The Uttarakhand government will oversee the project, and the secretary of the aviation department was directed to take necessary action. (Source:TOI)