Kullu Manali Airport celebrated the inaugural flight from Kullu to Dehradun with a water cannon salute. The Dehradun flight is scheduled to operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, as per the report of news agency ANI.


This airport is also called Bhuntar Airport, which is a domestic airport that serves the cities of Kullu and Manali in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. The airport is situated in Bhuntar, 11 km from Kullu town and 52 km from Manali.






According to Punjab Kesari, the flight to Dehradun will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays at 8:30 am. Kullu Manali Airport Director Siddharth Kadamba performed the lamp-lighting ceremony in the presence of airline staff, CISF, and passengers. Later, a traditional gun salute was given to the inaugural flight from Dehradun, and a cake-cutting ceremony was done with the aircraft crew.


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The airport director also announced that Kullu Manali Airport is now connected to Delhi, Amritsar, and Dehradun.


With the beginning of this air service, the tourism business of Kullu Manali will be boosted. It will also be very easy for people to go to Dehradun, Rishikesh, Haridwar, and other places in Uttarakhand.


Bhuntar Airport's Expansion 


As per a report by the Hindustan Times, the Ministry for Environment, Forest, and Climatic Change in February 2024 gave a nod to the expansion of Bhuntar Airport in Kullu. The move aimed to enable bigger aircraft to land as there is an increase in the footfall of the tourists.






On this expansion, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu announced that direct flights connecting Amritsar to Kullu would become operational, which would boost the influx of both domestic and international travelers.


He also emphasised the government's dedication to promoting tourism, underlining that Rs 3,000 crores have been allocated to the sector.