On Thursday, the first flight to the recently built Shivamogga Airport departed from Bengaluru. BJP leaders BS Yediyurappa, KS Eshwarappa, and Araga Jnanendra were also on board, as well as Karnataka cabinet minister MB Patil. At 9.50 am, the Indigo flight carrying several state cabinet ministers and BJP leaders departed from Bengaluru’s Kempe Gowda International Airport and touched down in Shivamogga at 11.05 am.
Infrastructure Development Minister MB Patil, in a press release on Tuesday, said that the 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,” he had said. The service will also benefit people from the surrounding districts of Chikkamagalu, Davangere, Chitradurga, and Haveri.
Patil further stated that the tender has already been floated under the UDAN scheme to expand flight services from Shivamogga.
Additionally, according to MB Patil, the initial reception to the flight service has been favorable, with tickets already being reserved for the upcoming three weeks. According to MB Patil, residents of the neighboring districts of Chikkamagaluru, Davanagere, Chitradurga, and Haveri will also profit from the airline service. After that, connecting cities like Delhi, Hyderabad, Tirupati, Chennai, and Goa will be the main focus. In February of this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially opened the brand-new Shivamogga Airport. The construction of the new airport will run about Rs. 450 crore. The airport’s 4,340 square meter passenger terminal building has a capacity of 300 passengers per hour.