BY DEBAJYOTI CHAKRABORTY
KOLKATA, 8 SEPTEMBER 2023:
In a major bid to further boost the travel and tourism sector in the state the Karnataka state government is planning to operate and maintain all the new under construction smaller airports and also to run its own regional airlines, informs state infrastructure, large and medium industries minister M.B.Patil.
Karnataka will be the first state government in the country to run its own regional airlines. The travel and tourism sector has revived after the state government under the leadership of new chief minister Mr. Siddaramaiah has taken over the charge and the state government has been investing huge ammounts to set up new airports from its own funds. New policies have been undertaken to boost the tourism.
“ There is a proposal to operate and maintain the new airports which are constructed by the state government. The central government has not allocated any funds for these projects so it will be meaningless to hand over these airports to the Airport Authority of India (AAI), he added.
He said this while inspecting the progress of the construction work of the airport at Vijayapura. The Karnataka government has spent Rs.300 crores already for this airport construction and will provide Rs.50 crores soon.
Two more airports, Kalaburagi and Shivamogga are built with funds from the state government.
Set up on 727 acres of land Vijayayapura airport is scheduled to be completed by December this year and commercial operations are set to begin from April 2024.
Night landing equipments will also be set up in this airport. The runway and other technical requirements will be created so that jumbo aircrafts can also take off.
At present Karnataka has eight functional airports while commercial operations are yet to start in Shivamogga and two more airports are on the anvil.
Tenders have been floated for another airport construction at Raichur.
Karnataka State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (KSIIDC) will be entrusted to operate and maintain these newly constructed airports.
The Rajasthan and the Maharsthra Government also operates smaller airports, while the West Bengal government is a major stake holder in the India’s first private sector greenfield airport, Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport in Andal. Maharashtra Government opeartes the Shirdi airport.
The Director General of Civil Avaitions has already given approvals for the Shivamogga airport. The karnataka Government has already discussed the issue of operating the smaller airports with DGCA and union civil aviation ministry.
The Kalaburagi Airport has been built at a cost of Rs.1000 crores.
The minister further added that he had a meeting with Sanjay Ghodawat, owner and founder of Star Air. The state government plans to acquire three aircrafts, each will cost Rs.200.
The regional state owned airline will further improve the connectivity in the Bengsaluru- Mysuru, Bengaluru- Kalaburagi, Bengaluru- Hubballi,Bengaluru – Shivamogga, Mysuru- Kalaburagi routes and boost the tourism sector further.
Expert advices of former top officials of Air India has been taken for setting up the new proposed regional airlines.
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