SHIMLA: A high-level team from the Union ministry of civil aviation would soon visit Himachal Pradesh to identify the suitable site for an international airport in Mandi district.The development came after Himachal CM Jai Ram Thakur met Union civil aviation minister Suresh Prabhu in New Delhi on Monday.During the meeting, Thakur said tourism is a major contributor to the gross domestic product (GDP) of the state. He said the state has been unable to exploit the full potential of tourism in the absence of international-level airport, which otherwise could have accelerated the inflow of high-end tourists. He said the state at present has three airports at Shimla, Bhuntar and Gaggal, but they could not be expanded due to the unavailability of required land and state-of-the-art technology. Besides flights to these airports are also irregular, he added.He requested the Union minister to take appropriate steps for the extension of Shimla, Gaggal and Bhuntar airports so that the network of airports in the state could be strengthened. Advocating construction of international airport in Mandi, Thakur said 52 lakh tourists, including 1.57 lakh foreigners, had visited Mandi and surrounding districts in 2017. He said due to opening of IIT, medical and engineering colleges and other educational institutions in Mandi district, there was an urgent need for the construction of airport for better connectivity.

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