Mizoram’s Lengpui Airport halts operations over unsafe runway, 3 flights cancelled
According to Lengpui airport officials, cracks have appeared on the runway and still need to be repaired
Aizawl: Lengpui Airport in Mizoram halted all operations on Friday due to “unsafe runway conditions,” which led to the cancellation of three inbound flights, leaving travellers stranded in Aizawl.
According to Lengpui airport officials, cracks have appeared on the runway and still need to be repaired. “The runway conditions forced its closure, leading to the cancellation of several flights, including those by IndiGo and Alliance Air,” an official said.
Three flights — an IndiGo flight from Kolkata in WestBengal to Lengpui Airport, another flight from Guwahati to Lengpui, and a third flight to Kolkata — were cancelled.
“We have received no information or notice from the airlines regarding refunds. Most of us booked round-trip tickets with other foreign airlines,” said Sangpuii, a passenger bound for China connecting from Kolkata who could not fly from Lengpui Airport.
“The runway problem was not new, and the lack of an assigned engineer to monitor the airport from the state government has been an issue for quite some time,” the airport official, requesting anonymity, said.
The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) in April took over the security of Lengpui Airport in the state capital, following a directive from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). “The deployment is part of the Government of India’s broader strategy to enhance security across all civil aviation hubs in the country,” a statement issued by the Mizoram government read.
Lengpui Airport, also known as Aizawl Airport, is a domestic airport serving Aizawl, the capital of Mizoram. It is located in Lengpui village, approximately 32 km north of Aizawl. The airport offers flights connecting Delhi, Kolkata, Guwahati, Imphal, and Shillong. It is the first airport in India to be constructed by a state government.
Lengpui Airport, with a tabletop runway and located at a high altitude of 1,228 feet above sea level, is the 69th airport in the country to come under CISF security cover. It also marks the first CISF deployment at any facility in Mizoram, making it the first such unit in the Northeastern state.
