Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to launch the Shivamogga airport on February 27 which is named after poet Kuvempu. The airport is expected to make air travel convenient for the people of Shivamogga district and surrounding areas of central Karnataka.
1. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s aircraft will be the first aircraft to land at this new greenfield airport.
2.The airport is built at the cost of around Rs. 600 crores out of which Rs. 449 crores were spent on the infrastructure of the airport. The remaining amount was spent on the land acquisition for the airport.
3. Shivamogga airport is the 9th domestic airport in Karnataka. Currently Karnataka’s domestic airports are located at Bengaluru, Mysuru, Ballari, Bidar, Hubballi, Kalaburagi, Belagavi and Mangaluru. Both Bengaluru and Mangaluru airports are also the international airports in the state4. The Shivamogga airport is built under UDAN(Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagarik) scheme by the central government, and it has the second largest runway in the state.
5. Karnataka government initially proposed to name Shivamogga airport after former CM BS Yediyurappa but he politely denied the proposal of the ruling BJP government and suggested poet Kuvempu’s name to it. February 27, the day which the airport is scheduled to be launched, also happens to be the 80th birthday of Yediyurappa.
