Nearly six months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Shivamogga airport in the run-up to the assembly elections earlier this year, commercial operations will begin at the airport from August 31. Flight of Indigo Airlines will be the first to land at 11:05 a.m.
The Indigo flight is scheduled to depart from Bengaluru’s Kempe Gowda International Airport at 9:50 a.m. and arrive at the Shivamogga Airport at 11:05 a.m. Once the flight lands, there will be a celebratory Water Canon Salute.
The Shivamogga airport was the long-standing dream of the four-time Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa. During the inauguration of the airport in February 2023, the senior BJP leader also said that the airport spread across 758 acres, built at a cost of around Rs 450 crore, will help the Malnad (region around the Western Ghats of Karnataka) and Central Karnataka. The Shivamogga district is also the home district of BS Yediyurappa.
Glad to have inaugurated the airport in Shivamogga. pic.twitter.com/I3cLj2y4n2— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 27, 2023
Among the passengers on this inaugural flight will be ministers MB Patil, Madhu Bangarappa, former Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, MP BY Raghavendra, and other public representatives from the Malnad region.
Speaking about the commercial operations, Karnataka Infrastructure Development Minister MB Patil on Tuesday said, “Shivamogga airport will become the first airport run by the state government. It is expected to contribute significantly to the economic, industrial, tourism and educational development of the region.”
The minister also added that the initial response to the flight service has been positive, with tickets booked in advance for the next three weeks. The flights will also benefit people from the surrounding districts of Chikkamagalu, Davangere, Chitradurga, and Haveri. The subsequent focus will be connecting destinations like Delhi, Hyderabad, Tirupati, Chennai, and Goa by offering direct flight services.
Patil also informed that the tender has already been floated under the UDAN scheme to expand services from Shivamogga.
The Shivamogga airport is designed like a lotus flower and it is suitable for A-320-type aircraft. Initially, there was a controversy regarding the naming of the airport as many BJP leaders wanted the airport to be named after BJP senior leader BS Yediyurappa. But the former Chief Minister declined and proposed to name it after famous Kannada poet and Jnanpith awardee Kuvempu.
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