Kullu Manali airport is operated at lesser capacity due to the short runway. Currently, Alliance Air is the only airlines which operate the flights with 20 seats only. To compensate the lesser load, it charges high for flight ticket which ranges from 22K for a Kullu-Delhi flight.
The high costs is a deterrent for many passengers. To overcome, the extension of runway had been proposed from 1,052 metres to 1,712 metres by diverting the Beas. Now, IIT Roorkee has done a study, which can provide some progress to the project. With a larger runway, airlines can bring down the cost of airfare.
Now, AAI is not acquiring the land due to prohibitive cost and proposals are made to the state government to facilitate land acquisition for the airport.
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