Mumbai, November 14, 2026: Direct air connectivity between Sindhudurg and Navi Mumbai will resume from November 16, with Fly91 set to operate flights between Sindhudurg's Chipi airport and Navi Mumbai seven days a week, Guardian Minister Nitesh Rane announced on Saturday.
Rane expressed confidence that the daily service would give a major boost to Sindhudurg's tourism sector, attract more visitors and open up new employment opportunities for local residents.
Daily Flights To Boost Tourism
Addressing the people of Sindhudurg, Rane said the foundation for developing the district as a tourism destination was laid in 1999, when then minister Narayan Rane declared it a tourism district. The objective was to supplement agriculture and fishing with tourism and improve the per capita income of residents.
As part of this vision, efforts were made to establish an airport at Chipi in Vengurla through the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC). Although flight services were launched after the airport was constructed, they were subsequently discontinued due to technical difficulties.
Government Support For Airport Operations
Rane said successive guardian ministers, including Deepak Kesarkar, Uday Samant and Ravindra Chavan, had made efforts to ensure the airport became fully operational. The process gained momentum after the Mahayuti government, led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, came to power.
As guardian minister, Rane said he held several meetings with officials to address infrastructure-related issues, including approach roads, electricity supply and night-landing facilities. The state Cabinet also approved viability gap funding (VGF) to ensure the airport's financial sustainability and the long-term continuation of flight operations.
With the state government's support, VGF was sanctioned for the Sindhudurg airport, creating favourable conditions for airlines to operate services from the facility, he said.
Connectivity To Create Employment Opportunities
Rane said the daily Fly91 service would improve connectivity with the Mumbai region and make Sindhudurg more accessible to tourists. This would benefit hotels, tour operators and other tourism-related businesses while generating employment and self-employment opportunities for local youth.
He also highlighted upcoming tourism projects, including the proposed Taj hotel projects at Velaghar in Vengurla and Devgad, stating that improved air connectivity would complement these investments and strengthen the district's tourism potential.
Rane urged local youth to explore opportunities in tourism-related businesses, ranging from tour guiding to hospitality and hotel management.
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"November 16 will not merely mark the take-off of an aircraft; it will mark a new take-off for Sindhudurg's development and tourism," he said, appealing to residents to work together towards building a developed Sindhudurg.
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