The Chandigarh Administration is compensating the Army with an equal chunk in the contiguous area. The N-Area will be handed over to the Airport Authority of India.

In a letter to UT Finance Secretary Sanjay Kumar, the Joint Secretary, Defence, Anand Mishra, has mentioned that the Army is ready to part with the land if compensated suitably.

“We have accepted and are ready to give the Army the land it wants,” Kumar said.

“This land was a big bottleneck in the airport project and once the final nod is received from the Defence, which is expected in a couple of days, construction can speed up,” he said.

Earlier too, the Chandigarh Administration had decided to compensate the Army. But the latter had refused as the land was about 200 meters away from their cantonment.

The 5.10 acres will increase the hangar capacity at the airport from two aircraft to almost seven. Though the airport is expected to be operational by the next year, officials maintain that international flights will begin take-offs much before that.

This international airport will be the second in the region after Amritsar’s Raja Sansi and will be an extension of the existing domestic airport.