Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh on Monday inspected the ongoing upgradation of the new terminal at Bir Tikendrajit International Airport in Imphal and reiterated that the government is fully committed to delivering infrastructure that meets the highest standards for the people.
The expansion and facelift of Imphal airport, including the construction of a new terminal building awarded in 2022, had been stalled for several months following the outbreak of ethnic violence in Manipur in May 2023. However, work has recently resumed, and the Airports Authority of India now expects the project to be completed by 2027.
During his visit to the airport on Monday, the Chief Minister reviewed the progress of construction. Later, in a Facebook post, Khemchand Singh noted: "Encouraging progress has been made, and we remain hopeful that upon timely completion, passenger convenience and service delivery will be significantly enhanced."
"At the same time, certain shortcomings in workmanship were observed. Necessary directions have been issued for immediate rectification to ensure quality standards are upheld," he added. Khemchand Singh also reviewed the air cargo terminal facilities during his inspection.
"The government remains firmly committed to strengthening airport infrastructure and ensuring efficient, high-quality services for our people. Ensuring that our International Airport operates at optimal efficiency remains a key responsibility of the government," he stated.
While interacting with the AI officials, he assured that the government would extend all possible assistance for the timely completion of the construction of the terminal. An official said that the new terminal building, currently under construction by a private construction company, is set to significantly enhance airport operations and passenger experience.
Once completed, it will enable round-the-clock operations, extending airport functioning hours from the current 12–14 hours to 24 hours a day, he said. According to the official, the upgraded facility will also boost passenger handling capacity substantially, increasing it from 1.39 million passengers per annum (MPPA) to 5 MPPA.
In addition, parking infrastructure will see a major expansion, with capacity growing from just 100 cars at present to 1,089 cars in the new integrated terminal complex, he said. Senior officials, including Chief Secretary Puneet Kumar Goel, Additional Chief Secretary, Transport, Anurag Bajpai, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Home, N. Ashok Kumar, along with the Director, Airport, and Director, Transport, accompanied the Chief Minister during the inspection and review meeting.
Meanwhile, the Manipur government has repeatedly urged the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) to intervene in reducing steep airfares on Imphal-connected routes and to introduce additional flights. Additional Chief Secretary Bajpai earlier held a series of meetings with the Civil Aviation Secretary and senior officials, highlighting the civil aviation challenges faced by the people of Manipur.
He pointed out that exorbitant airfares charged by airlines such as IndiGo, Air India Express, and Alliance Air were causing severe hardship, with ticket prices reportedly five to six times higher than those in other Northeastern states. Bajpai further noted that government guidelines on airfare capping were not being followed on Imphal routes and that the number of aircraft operating on these sectors had declined since October.
He also informed that Alliance Air had discontinued services on key routes, including Imphal–Silchar, Imphal-Aizawl, and Imphal-Dibrugarh, and urged the MoCA to facilitate their immediate revival. Additionally, the state government requested that these routes be reconsidered under the UDAN scheme (RCS-UDAN) in view of strong public demand.