After years of delay, the Halwara Airport in Ludhiana will finally be inaugurated virtually by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 1. Highly placed sources said an important meeting has been convened by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann in Chandigarh on Thursday to review preparations for the event.A senior official in Chandigarh confirmed the development.“The Prime Minister will inaugurate the Halwara Airport virtually on February 1, 2026. To review arrangements and ensure everything goes well, the Chief Minister has called an important meeting tomorrow in Chandigarh,” the official said.The Halwara International Airport project has missed over a dozen deadlines. Initially scheduled to be inaugurated in 2022, the project has faced repeated delays due to various reasons.Although Ludhiana Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Jain had earlier announced that operational flights would begin from March 2026, this will be the first time the airport would be inaugurated ahead of the operational deadline.Initially, the project was delayed due to funding issues from the Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (GLADA), which led to work being halted in April/May 2022. Subsequent delays were caused by pending Indian Air Force runway work, terminal finishing, and final security clearances. The project missed multiple deadlines, including June 2022, March 2023, October 2023 and March 31, 2024. A virtual inauguration by the Prime Minister was earlier announced for July 27, 2025, but was later deferred.Industrialists in Ludhiana have been awaiting the start of flights from Halwara Airport, hoping it would significantly reduce travel time.Expressing gratitude, Badish Jindal, President of the World MSME Forum, said the airport’s operation would be a major convenience for the industry.“We have been waiting for flights to be operational from Halwara for long”, he said.