Shillong, Aug 14: Work has begun on the expansion of the runway at Shillong Airport, Umroi, with all required clearances now in place, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said on Thursday.
The project is slated for completion in 15 months and is expected to enable direct connectivity to major metros from next year.
“I am happy to announce that the work for the extension of the runway has started,” Sangma said.
He credited recent deliberations in Delhi for resolving pending issues.
“We had a lot of challenges, but after detailed discussions and also my last visit to Delhi, these matters were sorted out,” he said.
The government expects the work to be wrapped up ahead of schedule.
“We expect that this work will be completed in a maximum of the next 15 months, though we are hoping it will be faster than that,” the CM said.
Once done, the longer runway will allow bigger aircraft to operate from the state.
“By next year, 2027, we do hope and expect that larger flights from the different metros will be landing directly at Umroi Airport,” Sangma added.
