CM to inaugurate Kalaburagi airport

The 3.5-km runway in the airport.

Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa will inaugurate the Kalaburagi airport in Kalaburagi on Friday afternoon. Preparations for the inaugural function are in full swing on the airport premises located near Srinivas Saradagi.

During his first stint as chief minister, Yediyurappa had laid the foundation stone for building the airport on June 14, 2018. A total of 567 acres of farmland was acquired for the project.

It was earlier decided to be built on a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model and the state government had entered into an agreement with Maytas Infra for 30 years. However, the agreement was cancelled in 2015 due to various reasons.

The public works department took up the construction work in 2016 with technical guidance from RITES India and completed the task at a cost of Rs 175 crore.

Trial runs were held on August 26, 2018.

The 3.25-km runway is said to be the second-longest runway in the state after the runway at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru.

For the first time in his political career spanning about 45 years, the name of veteran Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge is missing from the invitation card of an important function.

He had made a lot efforts for the completion of the airport by getting funds released by the state government.

“As he is not an elected representative now, his name has not been printed in the invitation card, as the protocol has to be followed”, said district administration sources.

Commercial operation of flights will begin from the Kalaburagi airport on Friday. Star Air will operate commercial flights three days a week, Monday, Friday and Sunday, to Bengaluru.

The airport has four ticket counters, passengers’ waiting lounge, a feeding room for lactating mothers, luggage claim lounge, drinking water, automated luggage detector, separate security check for men and women passengers among others. Alliance Air will also begin operations soon.

Parking facility for three aircraft - two ATR-72 model flights (small flights with 50 to 72 seats) and A-320 model airbus (180 to 220 seats) has been made.

Kalaburagi Airport director Jnaneshwara Rao said it has been decided not to land flights at night now as it requires special equipment.