The Belagavi airport at Sambra got a shot in the arm with the Ministry of Civil Aviation recently selecting it for development into a Low Cost and No-Frill airport.
In a press release, Suresh C. Angadi, MP (Belagavi), said here on Tuesday that the Civil Aviation Minister P. Ashok Gajapathi Raju announced inclusion of Belagavi among five airports selected for the purpose. Accordingly, Rs.55 crore to Rs.85 crore would be available to implement various development works which would eventually develop Belagavi airport into a model airport and bring down cost of operations for airline companies and fares for travellers.
He said the runway would be extended to enable landing/take-off of ATR and Q-400 Turboprop planes. Once it becomes fully functional as a No-Frill airport, Belagavi could attract more airline operators. Presently, the airport is connected to Bengaluru and Mumbai by SpiceJet only. Works under the No-Frill concept were expected to begin within the current financial year, he added.
