Autos Barred from Belagavi Airport Terminal: Is Affordable Air Travel Only About Flying, Not Reaching the Airport?
A passenger forced to walk nearly half a kilometre from the main security gate to the departure terminal after an auto-rickshaw was denied entry has raised serious questions about passenger convenience and safety at Belagavi Airport. With the airport already undergoing expansion, the authorities must ensure that construction and parking arrangements do not make access more difficult for ordinary passengers.
A complaint posted on X (formerly Twitter) by Arun Raj has brought an important passenger inconvenience at Belagavi Airport into focus. According to his post, he regularly uses auto-rickshaws to reach the departure terminal and also to exit the airport after arrival. However, on his latest visit, the parking contractor stopped his auto-rickshaw at the main security gate and refused permission to proceed towards the terminal.
He was asked to walk the remaining distance of nearly half a kilometre.
What makes this particularly concerning is that the airport is currently undergoing construction, and the walking route itself is reportedly not properly prepared for passengers. The passenger has pointed out that heavy electrical wires are crossing the walking path, raising serious safety concerns.
The question is simple: Why should a passenger who chooses an auto-rickshaw be forced to walk such a distance to catch a flight?
Affordable air travel must also mean affordable airport access
The government’s UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik) initiative was built around the idea that even an ordinary citizen wearing slippers should be able to fly. The larger objective was to make air travel accessible to people beyond the traditional urban elite.
But what happens when that ordinary citizen reaches the airport in an auto-rickshaw and is not allowed to get anywhere near the terminal?
Air connectivity is not just about operating flights. It is also about ensuring that passengers can conveniently and safely reach the airport, irrespective of whether they arrive in a private car, taxi or auto-rickshaw.
For many Belagavi residents, auto-rickshaws are the most affordable and convenient mode of transport. Senior citizens, passengers travelling with children, people carrying luggage and those with mobility difficulties cannot reasonably be expected to walk half a kilometre, particularly through an active construction zone.
Why is Hubballi different?
There is another important question that the Airports Authority of India (AAI) needs to answer.
Just a couple of days ago, when AAB contacted Hubballi Airport regarding the same issue, its management clarified that auto-rickshaws are permitted to drop passengers up to the terminal.
If Hubballi Airport can facilitate auto-rickshaw drop-offs, what is preventing Belagavi Airport from providing a similar facility?
Is this a decision of the parking contractor, an airport management instruction or a condition of the parking contract?
Passengers deserve clarity. Airport access rules cannot be left to the interpretation of a private parking contractor, particularly when they directly affect passenger safety and convenience.
We understand that airport premises need traffic discipline. Vehicles cannot be allowed to park indefinitely near the terminal, and parking contractors may have their own operational conditions.
However, allowing a vehicle to drop a passenger and leave is entirely different from allowing it to occupy a parking space.
Belagavi Airport must have a clearly designated drop-off and pick-up arrangement for all categories of vehicles.
There is no justification for making access difficult in the name of parking management when a simple, regulated drop-off facility can address the issue.
Belagavi cannot afford to discourage its air passengers
Belagavi has been waiting for improved airport infrastructure and better air connectivity for years. The new terminal and associated expansion are important developments for the city and the surrounding region.
However, infrastructure is meaningful only when it improves the passenger experience.
Air traffic and passenger numbers are important indicators of an airport’s growth. At a time when Belagavi needs to strengthen its air connectivity and attract more passengers and airline services, avoidable inconveniences at the airport could work against that objective.
A passenger’s journey does not begin when the aircraft takes off. It begins when they leave their home and ends when they reach their destination.
An airport should make flying easier, not make reaching the aircraft an obstacle course.
MP Jagadish Shettar and airport stakeholders must intervene
We urge Belagavi MP Jagadish Shettar, the Airports Authority of India, Belagavi Airport Director, local elected representatives and other stakeholders to take up this issue immediately.
The parking contractor may be responsible for managing parking, but passenger convenience and safety remain the responsibility of airport management.
Belagavi Airport is a public transport gateway, not a facility meant only for those arriving in private cars. An auto-rickshaw passenger deserves the same dignity, convenience and consideration as a passenger arriving in a luxury vehicle.
We need development, better connectivity and more flights. But first, let us ensure that an ordinary passenger can reach the terminal without being made to walk half a kilometre.