The new Sindhudurg Greenfield Airport – also known as Chipi Airport – became operational with the first Alliance Air flight landing at 1300 hours on Saturday.
Spread over 275 hectares with a 2500-meter runway, the airport can operate narrow-body aircrafts like Airbus A-320 and B-737.
The 61st airport inaugurated under the UDAN scheme (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) by Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia will give a massive fillip to trade and tourism in the region.
Scindia said it marks a new chapter in the glorious history of the Konkan region. He added that the number of daily flights from this airport would increase to 20-25 within the next five years.
The inauguration of the airport will restrict the travel time to just 85 minutes by flight, which otherwise took 10 hours via road or rail from Mumbai.
The route awarded to Alliance Air will bring the Konkan region to the national air map. The flight from Mumbai is scheduled at 11.35 hours daily, while the return flight from Sindhudurg is at 1325 hours.
Scindia said the Sindhudurg airport would also be a good option for people travelling to North Goa.
