Belagavi airport will be entering a new era from tomorrow

by Satish Kumar

Despite political setback and nepotism and favouring the nearby city of Hubballi under the garb of UDAN scheme, the active airline services came to standstill in the month of May this year besides running on full capacity and full cost. The Belagavi – IXG Airport is far more being a catalyst for growth and serving people of this region over a long period of time, even though it was a sad and abrupt end, but now from tomorrow Belagavi airport is heading to a new beginning, with the starting of an Airbus 319 service from Air India from Bengaluru, a new service is being offing for people of Belagavi.

Belagavi airport was earlier restricted to smaller aircraft of Avro, Dornier’s and ATR mostly propellant and small business jets, later after the runway expansion some new C types category aircraft was witnessed by Belagavi Airport, some larger aircraft in the recent past include that of Hon.PM Narendra Modiji VIP aircraft a Boeing 737 from communication squadron, a McDonnell Douglas’s C-17 Globe master of US Airforce during an army exercise in Belagavi.

It will be a proud moment that Belagavi Airport will receive for the first time a jet-propelled passenger aircraft tomorrow. A new chapter is being written here for a good and promising tomorrow to come with many more routes to be added soon in near future.

There has been a silent movement behind this cause to materialise and there are unsung heroes who formed a WhatsApp group “Save Belgavi Airport- Belagavi Viman Beku” and a Twitter campaign of “Save IXG”, to shake the policymakers and realize the mistake and repercussions of UDAN, closing an airport with active services of five flights to nil. The group emphasized and took efforts to wake up our elected representative from their slumber to lead a delegation to Delhi and make all this happen. These unsung heroes of groups are people who have some zeal for our city and thriving spirit, they have gone an extra mile and not to forget, all on own expense cost and time, and not craving or claiming for credit either.

It’s being committed now by the union ministry that not only Belagavi will be brought under UDAN-3 scheme as well, the bidding will be done in September and allocation of routes of service will be active by October this year.

Belagavi a city and the second capital will reap more benefits and value to rise to new heights, the skies of Belagavi will be busy again.