Chief Minister Shri Conrad K. Sangma met the Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Shri Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu, on 21 July 2026 and sought the Centre’s support to take forward a set of civil aviation projects aimed at improving air connectivity across Meghalaya.
In each project the State Government has already completed its part of the work, and specific approvals and decisions from the Ministry will now allow them to move ahead.
The foremost priority is the expansion of Shillong Airport at Umroi. The State has transferred the required 22 acres of land to the Airports Authority of India (AAI), the environmental clearance is in place, and AAI has awarded the runway expansion work. Once completed, the longer runway will allow larger aircraft such as the A320 to operate, opening the possibility of direct flights to major cities and easing dependence on the long road journey from Guwahati.
The Chief Minister requested that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issue the execution-level approval so that the awarded works can begin, with the removal of flight-path obstacles proceeding alongside.
The State is bearing the cost of clearing these obstacles, including about Rs 150 crore for the relocation of Umden Mission Village, and has reaffirmed this commitment before the High Court of Meghalaya.
For the Garo Hills, the State has asked AAI to take over and operate Baljek Airport at Tura as a full AAI airport on an as-is-where-is basis, offering to deposit the estimated project cost of Rs 63.67 crore upfront.
The airport is proposed to be developed in phases, beginning with 19-seater aircraft and moving to ATR-72 and A320 operations. The Chief Minister sought its sanction under the Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS-UDAN), with reimbursement of the deposited amount once the project is approved.
Two heliports at Shillong and Tura have already been sanctioned and are under construction. The State has identified nine further sites at district headquarters and tourist destinations, and sought sanction for at least two of them under RCS-UDAN along with feasibility studies for all.
Following the successful seaplane demonstration held at Umiam Lake in November 2024, the State also sought the sanction of a water aerodrome at Umiam under RCS-UDAN and the preparation of a detailed project report, proposing Umiam as one of the five water aerodromes that AAI has been mandated to develop.