JAMMU, SEPT 22: A media delegation from Bhopal, on an exposure tour organised by the Press Information Bureau (PIB), visited the Civil Enclave at Jammu Airport and Directorate of Industries and Commerce, Jammu, where it was briefed on the region’s ongoing aviation modernisation and industrial expansion.
At Jammu Airport, Director AAI Jammu Airport Devender Yadav briefed the delegation on the existing infrastructure and the ongoing construction of the new terminal building. He explained that the runway is operated and maintained by Defence authorities, while the AAI manages terminal facilities, airside commercial operations and passenger handling, with security arrangements coordinated with Defence forces.
Yadav said the ₹864-crore airport expansion project, which commenced towards the end of FY 2023–24, is progressing as scheduled, with around 70 percent of the construction completed. The project is targeted for completion by November 2026, while the proposal to upgrade Jammu Airport into a full-fledged international airport remains under consideration.
The expansion will increase passenger terminal space from 14,500 sq m to 42,000 sq m, besides an additional 14,500 sq m basement. Peak-hour passenger handling capacity is expected to rise from 1,080 to 2,000 passengers, while annual handling capacity will increase from 2.6 million to 4.5 million passengers.
The airport’s aircraft parking capacity is also being expanded from nine to 13 bays alongside the existing 2,435-metre by 45-metre runway. The new terminal will have six aerobridges, 16 self-check-in kiosks, 36 check-in counters and four baggage conveyor belts, compared with three, five, 20 and two respectively at present.
The project also includes an in-line baggage handling system, elevated departure access road and parking facilities for more than 500 vehicles. The new terminal is being developed as a green building and is targeted for a 5-star GRIHA rating, based on compliance with 35 energy-efficiency parameters.
At present, Jammu Airport handles 15 scheduled commercial flights daily, with approximately 3,500 daily footfalls and annual passenger footfall of around 1.4 million.
Later, the delegation visited the Directorate of Industries and Commerce, Jammu, where Assistant Director Jatinder Paul Singh briefed the journalists on industrial growth under the J&K Industrial Policy 2021–30 and the New Central Sector Scheme (NCSS) 2021.
According to the briefing, 1,767 functional industrial units have been established on government land within designated industrial estates in Jammu Division, involving cumulative investment of ₹13,391.46 crore and generating 49,795 direct jobs.
Under NCSS 2021, 971 units had been registered up to September 30, 2024, involving proposed investment of ₹14,294 crore, including ₹10,514 crore in plant and machinery, with projected employment of 51,897 persons and estimated fiscal incentives of ₹32,017 crore.
The delegation was further informed that actual investment realised in the UT reached ₹5,824 crore during FY 2025–26, while 401 of 440 registered new and expansion units, or around 91 percent, had commenced commercial production by August 1, 2026.
The briefing highlighted the emergence of mega industrial units involving investments of more than ₹500 crore in sectors including packaging, food processing, polymers and pharmaceuticals.
Officials also outlined investor-support measures, including 100 percent subsidy on DG sets up to ₹45 lakh, 60 percent subsidy on pollution-control equipment up to ₹50 lakh, 100 percent Net SGST reimbursement for 10 years for eligible units, turnover-linked incentives for up to five years, and land leases of up to 99 years through the Single Window Portal.
The delegation later visited industrial units in the SIDCO Industrial Area, where the journalists observed first-hand the manufacturing facilities, operational systems and industrial ecosystem emerging under the UT’s new industrial framework.
