Shivamogga airport to begin flight operations from August 11

He also stated that airline officials have requested over a month’s time for inspection works at the airport and that he has approved the same. “The airport will soon begin operations after the inspection is completed by the airline. I have also requested the aviation ministry to include the Shivamogga-Bengaluru flight services under the Udaan’s Regional Connectivity Scheme. In addition, I have also requested the airlines to start operations between Shivamogga and New Delhi.”

According to airport officials, most of the civil works are completed and only some beautification work is pending.

The airport, named after famous Kannada poet and Jnanpith Awardee Kuvempu, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 27, during the run-up to the state elections. The BJP had initially planned to name the airport after Yediyurappa but the latter declined and proposed to name it after Kuvempu. It was also inaugurated on the day of Yediyurappa’s birthday and the airport was seen as a gift to the BJP leader.

Located at Sogane, 8.8 km from Shivamogga, the airport is developed at a cost of around Rs 450 crore. The Passenger Terminal Building of the airport is expected to handle 300 passengers per hour. The airport is also set to improve connectivity and accessibility of Shivamogga and other neighboring areas in the Malnad region.

Spread across 758 acres of land, the Shivamogga airport is designed like a lotus flower and it is suitable for A-320-type aircraft. The airport is also designed to manage night landing facility. In fact, the Congress had objected to the lotus-shape design of the airport as it is the election symbol of the BJP. However, the BJP defended by saying lotus was the national flower and it had nothing to do with the election symbol.

On 15 June 2020, Yediyurappa laid the foundation stone to relaunch the construction of the airport after an unsuccessful attempt in 2008 following management issues.