Shivamogga will be the first airport to be operated, maintained by Karnataka government: MB Patil

Industries minister MB Patil

Karnataka Large Industries and Infrastructure Development Minister MB Patil on July 13 said that the newly-constructed Shivamogga Airport will be operational from August 11, and all the pending amenities in the airport would be put in place by July 20.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has permitted Karnataka State Industries and Infrastructure Development Corporation (KSIIDC) to conduct the operation and maintenance of this airport. "With this, Shivamogga Airport would become the first airport in Karnataka to be maintained by an institution of the state government," said Patil.

Patil instructed officials to ensure all work will be completed by July 20 while he chaired the progress review meeting of new airports in the state.

"The first flight will take off from Bengaluru to land at Shivamogga Airport on August 11," he said.

"Ambulance and other vehicles need to be deployed and a coffee cafe is required to be opened. Apart from these, some technical and non-technical staff need to be appointed. The airport will be set ready for operations by July 20 by fulfilling all these requirements," he said.

Meanwhile, the minister also reviewed the progress of the ongoing work at the upcoming Vijayapura Airport. Expressing his dissatisfaction about not having a night landing facility, he directed the concerned officials to take steps to incorporate the facility.

"The original plan did not include the night landing facility. So far around Rs 350 crore has been spent and an additional Rs 12 crore will be needed to include a night landing facility. Runway work has been completed and all structure-related works will be done in three months. Simultaneously, installation of the equipment will be taken care of," he said.

The minister also examined the progress of ongoing airport projects at Hassan, Raichur and Karawar. Later, he also discussed about the airstrips at Dharmasthala, Kodagu and Chikkamangaluru, which were proposed in the recent state budget (2023-2024).