Ludhiana, Jan. 29 -- After years of delays and missed deadlines, the long-awaited civil terminal at the Halwara air base in Ludhiana district is finally ready for inauguration. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the terminal virtually on February 1, local authorities confirmed. Following the announcement of the schedule, deputy commissioner Himanshu Jain visited the airport on Wednesday to review preparations. With the inauguration, flight operations are expected to begin shortly, though no final date has yet been announced, and no airline has been officially confirmed. The terminal was earlier scheduled to be inaugurated virtually by the PM on July 27, 2025, but the programme was postponed. Developed at the Indian Air Force base in Halwara, located in Raikot subdivision, the civil terminal has been a long-standing demand of Ludhiana residents, particularly the business and industrial community, to improve air connectivity to the region. At present, Ludhiana has no operational commercial flights. The only flight from Sahnewal airport stopped operating around four months ago, forcing passengers to travel to Delhi, Jalandhar, Amritsar or Chandigarh to access air services. While the Halwara terminal marks a major step forward, international flight operations will not begin in the initial phase. For now, the terminal will cater to only one domestic flight, with a capacity of 150 passengers for both arrivals and departures. The terminal has been constructed at Aitiana village, about 35 km from the district headquarters. Chief minister Bhagwant Mann had earlier proposed naming the airport after freedom fighter Shaheed Kartar Singh Sarabha, a native of the district. However, the proposal is still awaiting approval from the Centre. Seven years in the making The airport project was approved by the Punjab government in 2018, but construction was repeatedly delayed due to funding constraints. Work began only after the Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (GLADA) took possession of the land in 2020. The public works department (PWD) was awarded the construction contract in December 2021, with a completion target of June 2022. However, funds were released only in November 2022, leading to further delays. Construction resumed in December 2022 after intervention by CM Mann. The total cost of the project is estimated at Rs.54 crore, including Rs.27 crore for the terminal building and Rs.27 crore for the tarmac....