The Maharashtra Cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday gave the nod to name the Chipi airport in Sindhudurg district after a prominent socialist leader, freedom fighter and former MP Barrister Nath Pai.
The Chip Airport was formally inaugurated on March 5, 2019. Alliance Air, a former Air India subsidiary, is the only airline operating flights from Mumbai. Commercial flights started at the airport from October 9, 2021.
There were a series of delays thereafter, but the Chipi Airport - first in the Konkan - was built at a cost of around Rs 520 crore under DBFOT.
With a runway length of 2,500-45 metres, which can be extended by another 1,000 metres, the airport can handle up to 400 passengers or two flights per hour with an estimated annual capacity over a million passengers.
The airport can handle aircraft like A-320 and B-737 and would give a huge fillip to tourism in Konkan, renowned for its magnificent coastline, dazzling beaches, big and small rivers, creeks, abundant greenery and natural beauty, ancient temples, sea and land forts, a rich cultural heritage, unique lifestyle and major historical landmarks.
