The civil aviation ministry is in touch with the district administration here for acquiring land for building an airport terminal near the Hindon airbase for operation of domestic flights, a top district official said.
In August, the Indian Air Force had agreed to allow the use of its Hindon airbase for civilian flights under the government's regional connectivity scheme (RCS).
It would help to take the load off Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport which is facing slot constraints with Hindon serving as the "second" airport in the national capital region for flights operating under the scheme.
Representatives of the civil aviation ministry and the district administration today visited the land at Sikanderpur village near the airbase, District Magistrate Ritu Maheshwari said.
Flights will operate from the runway of airbase. But, keeping in mind the security of the Hindon airbase, a separate gate for passengers would be built, she said.
The RCS, also known as UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik), aims at making flying affordable for the masses by capping airfares on selected short routes -- such as from Delhi to Shimla -- at Rs 2,500 per hour of flight.
Airlines that are awarded routes under the scheme are offered government subsidy and in return need to set aside 50 per cent of the seating capacity for discounted fares.
There are 23 defence airports across the country which are also used as civil enclaves for the purpose of operating commercial flights.
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