Kolhapur airport registers 21,000 passenger footfall in past 5 months

Authorities are considering this as a good sign, considering the airport began operations in April 2018

The Chhatrapati Rajaram Maharaj airport, also known as the Kolhapur airport has recorded 21,000 passenger footfall in 620 flight operations over the past five months.

The Chhatrapati Rajaram Maharaj airport, also known as the Kolhapur airport has recorded 21,000 passenger footfall in 620 flight operations over the past five months. (PHOTO FOR REPRESENTATION PURPOSE ONLY)

Authorities are considering this as a good sign, considering the airport began operations in April 2018.

Kamal Kumar Katariya,airport director, Kolhapur airport, said, “The numbers could have crossed 3,000 had the flight operations between Kolhapur and Bengaluru not been shut in February due to an air show in Bengaluru. These numbers are a big achievement for us.”

According to Katariya, in the last five months the city airport handled 116 non-scheduled operations which carried 327 passengers.

Currently, the airport connects Kolhapur to Bengaluru and Hyderabad. According to the airport officials, two new flight connections are likely to be added to Tirupati and Hyderabad.

A weather department has been established on the airport premises. All airlines will now be updated with weather forecast at 7am everyday, said officials.

Suresh Prabhu, union civil aviation minister in February, laid the foundation stone for a new terminal building and air traffic control (ATC) tower at the Kolhapur airport .

The new terminal, which will cost ₹ 275 crore, will be spread over 3,900 sq m.

There will be 10 check-in counters at the new terminal. The new terminal will be constructed with eco-friendly sustainable building material. Apart from this, LED lighting and a sewage treatment plant will also be added to the airport.