First Flight To Sindhudurg Airport Successful With Local Women Pilot On-board, Commercial Operations Begin December

The first test flight to Sidhudurg airport has commenced successfully and the airport will be ready for commercial operations by December. The flight, originating from Mumbai, landed at the Parule-Chipi Greenfield airport yesterday (12 September).

Interestingly, a co-pilot of the flight was a local girl from Devgad located in Sindhudurg district itself.

Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu called the airport a festival gift to the people of the region and asked authorities to ensure that operations begin on time. The airports 2,500 metres runway can reportedly handle aircraft like Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 with the terminal having a peak capacity of 400 passengers.

The airport will vastly improve connectivity to North Goa and Maharastra Konkan region. The airport is in the vicinity of the seventeenth century Sindhudurg Fort which was built by Chhatrapati Shivaji which is a popular tourist spot. The fort is located on an island off the coast of Malvan and will be at a distance of just 20 km from the new airport.

The airport, Maharastra’s fourteenth, is being developed as a part of the centre’s UDAN initiative which aims to bolster regional air connectivity in the country.