Ludhiana finally has its own airport, and if you live in or near the city, it's a genuine change to how you plan trips — at least for domestic travel. Here's what Halwara Airport actually offers right now, and where it still falls short for international travellers.
Quick answer: Halwara Airport (HWR) is about 32 km from Ludhiana city and currently runs Air India flights to and from Delhi twice daily. It doesn't have international flights yet, so if you're flying abroad, you'll still go via Delhi, Amritsar, or occasionally Chandigarh.
What is Halwara Airport, and when did it open?
Ludhiana Halwara International Airport, IATA code HWR, was inaugurated on 1 February 2026, with commercial flights beginning a few months later on 15 May 2026. Despite "International" in its formal name, it currently operates as a domestic gateway — more on that below.
What flights currently operate from Halwara?
Air India operates two round trips a day between Delhi and Halwara. As announced at launch, the schedule looked like this:
| Flight | Route | Departure | Arrival |
|---|---|---|---|
| AI481 | Delhi → Halwara | 05:55 | 07:05 |
| AI482 | Halwara → Delhi | 07:55 | 09:10 |
| AI483 | Delhi → Halwara | 12:55 | 14:10 |
| AI484 | Halwara → Delhi | 14:40 | 15:55 |
Airline schedules change fairly often, so treat this as the launch-time timetable and confirm current flight times directly with Air India or your booking platform before you travel.
Why does a Delhi connection even matter if it's just domestic?
This is actually the point of the route. These Delhi flights were timed to allow through-connections onward to the UK and Europe via Delhi. For Ludhiana-area NRIs and their families, that means a short, roughly 75-minute domestic hop into Delhi instead of a 5-6 hour road trip, before catching an international flight out of Delhi. It doesn't replace Amritsar's direct international flights, but it does cut out the long drive for anyone connecting through Delhi anyway.
Does Halwara have any international flights?
Not currently. It's a domestic gateway for now, connecting Ludhiana to Delhi. For an actual international departure, travellers still generally go via:
- Delhi IGI — widest range of international flights, but it's about 316 km from Ludhiana
- Amritsar ATQ — direct flights to London Gatwick, Birmingham, and Gulf destinations, about 150 km from Ludhiana
- Chandigarh IXC — occasionally, mainly for Gulf routes, about 100 km from Ludhiana
What about the old Sahnewal (Ludhiana) airport?
If you've flown through the older Ludhiana airport at Sahnewal before, its current operating status is unclear from available sources, so we won't claim it's open or closed — if you've used it previously, it's worth checking its current status directly before assuming it still operates the same way.
So which airport should I actually use?
| Airport | Distance from Ludhiana | What it's good for |
|---|---|---|
| Halwara (HWR) | ~32 km | Domestic travel, Delhi connections |
| Chandigarh (IXC) | ~100 km | Gulf international flights |
| Amritsar (ATQ) | ~150 km | UK and Gulf direct international flights |
| Delhi (IGI) | ~316 km | Widest range of international flights |
Halwara is the closest and most convenient airport for Ludhiana residents, no question. But for most international trips today, Amritsar and Chandigarh remain the realistic direct options, and Delhi still carries the widest range of flights overall if your route isn't covered by the other two.
We've been running taxis in and around Ludhiana since 1980, as a family business, so we've watched this airport go from an idea to an actual gate you can land at. We run transfers to and from Halwara as well as the longer runs to Delhi, Amritsar, and Chandigarh airports.
FAQ
Q: How far is Halwara Airport from Ludhiana city? A: About 32 km.
Q: Does Halwara airport have international flights? A: Not currently. It operates domestic flights to Delhi, from where you can connect onward internationally.
Q: How many flights run between Delhi and Halwara each day? A: Two round trips daily on Air India, as announced at launch — confirm current timings before you travel since schedules can change.
Q: Is the old Ludhiana airport at Sahnewal still open? A: Unclear from available information — check its current status directly if you've used it before.
Q: Should I use Halwara or Amritsar for an international flight? A: Halwara doesn't have international flights yet, so for international travel you'll still need Amritsar, Chandigarh, or Delhi. Halwara is mainly useful for a quick domestic hop to Delhi to connect onward.
For transfers to and from Halwara, see our Ludhiana taxi service page, or for the Delhi route specifically, check Delhi Airport to Ludhiana taxi.