Kullu–Manali Airport , also called Bhuntar Airport, is a

domestic airport A domestic airport is an airport that handles only flights within the same country. Domestic airports do not have customs and immigration facilities and so cannot handle flights to or from a foreign airport. These airports often have short r ...

serving the cities of

Kullu Kullu () is a municipal council town that serves as the administrative headquarters of the Kullu district of the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. It is located on the banks of the Beas River in the Kullu Valley about north of the airport ...

and Manali in the Indian state of

Himachal Pradesh Himachal Pradesh (; Sanskrit: ''himācāl prādes;'' "Snow-laden Mountain Province") is a States and union territories of India, state in the northern part of India. Situated in the Western Himalayas, it is one of the thirteen Indian Himalayan ...

. The airport is located at

Bhuntar Bhuntar is a town and a nagar panchayat in Kullu district in the state of Himachal Pradesh, India. It is just 11 km from Kullu town, and lies along National Highway 3. The Kullu-Manali Airport is located in Bhuntar. The next major settlement ...

, 11 km from Kullu and 52 km from Manali. The airport is considered a challenging airport for pilots because of its single runway set in a deep valley whose peaks rise several thousand feet higher than the runway. Also, the airport is located on the banks of the river Beas, and in 1995, its flash floods posed a threat to the runway. The new air terminal at Bhuntar was inaugurated in 2008, and the airport apron enlarged to park two aircraft at a time.

Kingfisher Airlines Kingfisher Airlines Limited was an airline group based in India. It was established in 2003 and started its commercial operations in 2005. Through its parent company United Breweries Group, it had a 50% stake in low-cost carrier Kingfisher Red. ...

ceased operations in September 2012 while Air India Regional resumed its operations to Kullu in May 2013. Himalayan Bulls, in collaboration with Deccan Charters, commenced Kullu-Chandigarh-Kullu flights thrice a day from 2 April 2014. As of April 2024, Alliance Air is the sole airline operating to and from the airport.

Upgrades

In order to strengthen air connectivity in the state, the Himachal Pradesh Government plans to upgrade the airport. The Indian Institute of Technology, (IIT) Roorkee has prepared a detailed feasibility report for expanding the airport runway by 550 metres at a cost of Rs. 248 crore. The

Airports Authority of India The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is a statutory body under the ownership of the Ministry of Civil Aviation (India), Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India. It is responsible for creating, upgrading, maintaining, and managing civi ...

(AAI), which operates the airport, has planned an extension of another 60 metres.

Airlines and destinations

Statistics

References

External links

IAF's ALG
* Air Marshal K. K. Nohwar
Pace of Infrastructure Development in Border Areas: Adequate?
Centre for Air Power Studies, 13 March 2018 *
Kullu Manali Airport
at

web site
Himalayan Bulls
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kullu-Manali Airport Airports in Himachal Pradesh Buildings and structures in Kullu district Transport in Manali, Himachal Pradesh Airports with year of establishment missing