Nashik Airport

Nashik International Airport
IATA: ISK ICAO: VAOZ
Summary
Airport type	Military/Public
Owner	Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)
Operator	HALCON (HAL & CONCOR)
Serves	Nashik Metropolitan Region
Location	Ozar, Nashik district, Maharashtra, India
Opened	1964 (1964)
Time zone	UTC+05:30 ({{{utc}}})
Elevation AMSL	608 m / 1,995 ft
Coordinates	20°07′10″N 073°54′49″E
Map
ISK Location of the airport in Maharashtra ISK ISK (India)
Runways
Direction Length Surface m ft 09/27 3,000 9,843 Concrete/Asphalt
Statistics (April 2023 - March 2024)
Passengers 242,372 ( 124.9%) Aircraft movements 3,234 ( 3.3%) Cargo tonnage 464
Source: AAI<ref>"Annexure III – Passenger Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 23 April 2024.</ref><ref>"Annexure II – Aircraft Movement Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 23 April 2024.</ref><ref>"Annexure IV – Freight Movement Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 23 April 2024.</ref>

Nashik International Airport (IATA: ISK, ICAO: VAOZ) is an international airport and Indian Air Force base serving the city of Nashik, Maharashtra, India. It is located at Ozar, 20 km (12 mi) northeast from the city centre. It is owned by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), which uses the airport primarily to develop, test and build aircraft for the Indian Armed Forces. It is home to a maintenance station of the Indian Air Force and also supports widebody commercial cargo services.<ref name = "IBN">"HAL begins cargo services at Nashik airport". IBN. 20 September 2011. Archived from the original on 17 October 2012. Retrieved 21 September 2011.</ref> A new passenger terminal was inaugurated on 3 March 2014.<ref name="TOI1">"Union minister visits new airport terminal". The Times of India. 26 July 2014. Retrieved 27 July 2014.</ref> It serves the Nashik Metropolitan Region (NMR) as well as the North Maharashtra Region.

History

The airport was built in 1964, when Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL)'s Aircraft Division at Nashik commenced licensed manufacturing of fighter aircraft with the MiG-21FL. Other aircraft manufactured here include MiG-21M, MiG-21 BIS, MiG-27 M and Su-30 MKI aircraft.

Kingfisher Airlines commenced scheduled services to Mumbai in 2008, but ended in November 2009 due to poor response.<ref name="TOI2">"Air Deccan finally starts air services from Ozar". The Times of India. 24 December 2017. Retrieved 26 December 2017.</ref> HAL announced the launch of commercial air cargo operations from the airport on 20 September 2011. The cargo services are managed by HALCON, a joint working group between HAL and Container Corporation of India (CONCOR) along with Clarion Solutions. The airport is capable of handling large aircraft like the Antonov AN-124s after having creating additional parking space and medical facilities. Clarion Solutions is the cargo terminal operator.

In 2011, HAL signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Maharashtra for an upgradation of the airport.<ref name = "BS">"Maha govt, HAL to upgrade Ozar airport". Business Standard. 5 March 2011. Retrieved 21 September 2011.</ref> This involves a passenger terminal worth ₹ 84 crores. The Government of Maharashtra paid ₹ 74 crores of the terminal project cost and HAL funded the remaining ₹ 10 crore.<ref name="TOI1"/><ref name="TOI">"Ozar terminal to be inaugurated on March 2". The Times of India. 25 February 2014. Retrieved 25 February 2014.</ref> After coming on the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)'s air map, HAL is now in the process of appointing a private company to develop, to operate and maintain the airport terminal at the airport on a revenue sharing basis.<ref>"Indigo to use Nashik airport for emergency landing". Times of India. 8 December 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2016.</ref> Scheduled passenger air services to Nashik was revived after a gap of eight years when Air Deccan commenced operations to Mumbai and Pune on 23 December 2017 under the government's UDAN scheme.<ref name="TOI2"/>

In March 2025, HAL announced plans to develop a new runway parallel to the existing one.<ref>"Hindustan Aeronautics to invest Rs 200 crore for new runway at Nashik airport". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 3 March 2025.</ref>

Ozar Air Force Station

The 11 Base Repair Depot, one of the eight base repair depots of the Indian Air Force under overall control and supervision of the Maintenance Command, Nashik is based at the airport. It was established in 1975 and is an ISO 9001:2000 certified maintenance facility. It conducts overhaul programmes for the IAF's MiG-21 (FL, BIS), MiG-23s and MiG-29s.<ref>"When IAF Turns Industrial Entrepreneur - A Visit to 11 BRD". Vayu Aerospace Review. New Delhi. 12 October 2009. Archived from the original on 6 February 2012. Retrieved 10 October 2018.</ref>

Terminal

The new terminal building, spread over 22 acres with 8,267 sq.m. built-up area can accommodate 300 passengers. The adjoining apron can handle up to six aircraft. The groundbreaking ceremony of the terminal was performed by the then PWD Minister and Guardian Minister, Chhagan Bhujbal, on 2 January 2012,<ref>"Bhoomipujan of terminal building at Ozar Airport". CafeNasik.com. 2 January 2012. Archived from the original on 13 December 2017. Retrieved 2 March 2012.</ref> and the terminal was inaugurated on 3 March 2014 by the then Union Minister for the Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, Praful Patel.<ref name="TOI1"/> The facilities include departure lobby, check-in counters, security, holding and VIP areas, retail, airport administration and airlines offices, flying and ground crew services, physically challenged friendly and childcare facilities, and dedicated smoking areas. The airport boasts of modern systems like integrated baggage handling, flight information display systems (FIDS), CCTVs, public address and voice annunciation systems, access control, Building Management System (BMS), Fire and Safety Systems, and Terminal Control Center.<ref>"20 km from Nashik - New airport terminal at Ozar inaugurated &#124; The Economic Times". Retrieved 21 August 2019.</ref>

Airlines and destinations

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Airlines	Destinations
IndiGo	Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur (via Indore)

Cargo

Air cargo operations at Nashik International Airport are managed by HALCON, a joint venture between Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Container Corporation of India (CONCOR). The airport has emerged as a significant regional hub for international exports, particularly agricultural and pharmaceutical goods.<ref name="TOI_Cargo_2025">Pawar, Tushar (31 December 2025). "Nashik Airport logs 2.5-fold surge in international cargo movement during Jan-Nov period". The Times of India.</ref>

Between January and November 2025, the airport handled 7,155 tonnes of cargo, a 183% increase compared to the previous year.<ref name="CBN_Growth_2026">"Nashik Airport sees solid growth in global cargo in Jan–Nov 2025". Cargo Breaking News. 8 January 2026.</ref>

Cargo airlines and destinations

Airlines	Destinations
Fly Vaayu	Ras Al Khaimah, Dubai<ref name="FlyVaayu_Routes">"Fly Vaayu: GCC's Scheduled Dedicated Freight Carrier". Fly Vaayu. Retrieved 6 February 2026.</ref>

Export Commodities

Commodities exported from the facility include:

• Agriculture: Grapes, onions, and horticultural crops.
• Livestock: Poultry and live animals (supported by quarantine facilities in Ras Al Khaimah).<ref name="CargoFacts_Vaayu">"Vaayu Group finds niche in A320P2F". Cargo Facts. 31 January 2025.</ref>
• Industrial and Medical: Pharmaceutical products, defense equipment, and engineering goods.

Statistics

Annual passenger traffic at Nashik Airport

Financial Year	Passengers	% Change	Ref.
2022–23	107,772	—	<ref name="TBM_Stats">"Nashik Airport sees record passenger growth surge". TravelBiz Monitor. 2 November 2025.</ref>
2023–24	242,261	124.8%	<ref name="TBM_Stats" />
2024–25	340,000	40.3%	<ref name="TOI_Growth">Pawar, Tushar (10 April 2024). "Nashik airport traffic doubles in FY24". The Times of India.</ref>

Future expansion

In preparation for the Simhastha Kumbh Mela (scheduled from October 2026 to July 2028), the Nashik-Trimbakeshwar Kumbh Mela Development Authority approved a ₹556 crore expansion project for the airport in November 2025.<ref name="Hindu_Kumbh">"Kumbh authority gives administrative approval for Nashik airport expansion". The Hindu. 20 November 2025.</ref>

The expansion plan, targeted for completion by March 2027, includes:

• A new 17,800 sqm terminal building that will increase the hourly passenger capacity from 300 to 1,000.<ref name="TOI_Kumbh_Plan">Pawar, Tushar (19 November 2025). "Kumbh Mela Authority approves Rs 556cr for Nashik airport expansion". The Times of India.</ref>
• A new 1.15 lakh sqm apron to accommodate additional aircraft parking.
• Adding modern passenger facilities, including aerobridges and advanced security systems.<ref name="MidDay_Kumbh">"Kumbh authority clears Nashik airport expansion, targets March 2027 completion". Mid-Day. 20 November 2025.</ref>

See also

• List of airports in Maharashtra

External links

• Website for Nasik Air Cargo