Karnataka: Shivamogga airport begins commercial operations; state govt to provide Rs 500 subsidy per ticket

Karnataka infrastructure minister MB Patil, former CM BS Yediyurappa posing in front of the maiden flight to Shivamogga

Commercial operations at Shivamogga Airport in Karnataka commenced on August 31 with the departure of the first passenger aircraft (IndiGo) flight at 9:55am from Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru. The flight touched down at Kuvempu airport in Shivamogga at 10:45am.

In February 2023, PM Modi inaugurated the airport in Shivamogga, the home district of four-time CM BS Yediyurappa, at a cost of around Rs 450 crore, ahead of the Karnataka polls.

Addressing a function, Karnataka's Infrastructure Development Minister MB Patil said, "Shivamogga airport will provide on-site air ticket facilities, and a subsidy of Rs 500 will be extended on each ticket purchased here for one year to facilitate air travel for ordinary citizens."

Patil, along with former Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa, former minister KS Eshwarappa, Shivamogga MP BY Raghavendra, and MLA Araga Jnanendra, among others, were passengers on the maiden flight from Bengaluru to Shivamogga.

Shivamogga is the first airport in Karnataka to be operated and maintained by the state government through Karnataka State Industrial & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (KSIIDC).

The airport serves the Malnad region (the area around the Western Ghats of Karnataka) and central Karnataka districts, as well as surrounding districts of Chikkamagaluru, Davanagere, Chitradurga, and Haveri.

As passengers disembarked from the smoothly landed flight, a water cannon salute marked the celebratory moment. Shivamogga district in-charge minister Madhu Bangarappa and the airport staff welcomed the passengers by offering roses and distributing sweets to each passenger who arrived on the maiden flight.

Patil said flight service to Shivamogga would catalyse industrial, economic, tourism, and educational growth in the region.

He outlined the government's focus on extending direct flight services to major cities such as Delhi, Chennai, Goa, Hyderabad, and Tirupati.

The airport will be equipped according to revised plans to accommodate Airbus A320 flights and night landings, Patil said.

The initial response has been positive, with tickets booked in advance for three weeks, he said.

"The Shivamogga airport will offer daily services to and from Bengaluru. Flights connecting commuters to Chennai, Mumbai, and Delhi by Indigo are set to commence on September 10," he said.