Come October 7, new Chipi Airport in Sindhudurg district of coastal Konkan region will go on the country’s air-map. Chipi airport will be the 14th airport in Maharashtra.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will formally throw open the Chipi airport for air traffic on Tuesday.  Initially, intra-state flights will be operated from this airport. Later on, the Chipi airport will offer inter-state connectivity to Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and a couple of other states.

After meeting the chief minister, Shiv Sena MP Vinayak Raut made a formal announcement about the inauguration of Chipi Airport on social media. 

Constructed at a cost of Rs 520 crore under Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Transfer (DBFOT) model, the Chipi Airport – first-ever airport constructed in the coastal Konkan region –will initially offer flights to Mumbai, Pune, Nashik and Nagpur.

Incidentally, Sindhudurg where Chipi airport is located is the home district of BJP leader and current Union Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs)

More than two years ago, the then Chief Minister Devendra and the former Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu had inaugurated the new terminal building and other facilities at the Greenfield Airport as flights under the UDAN scheme were expected to be launched from there. However, the launch of air traffic from the Chipi Airport was delayed afterwards.

The airport has a runway of 2500 metre length and 45 metre width, which can be extended by another 1,000 metres. The airport airport can handle up to 400 passengers or two flights per hour with an estimated annual capacity over a million passengers.

The airport can handle aircraft like A-320 and B-737 which would give a huge fillip to tourism in Konkan, known for its long and picturesque coastline, dazzling beaches, big and small rivers, creeks, abundant greenery and natural beauty, ancient temples, sea and land forts, a rich cultural heritage, unique lifestyle and major historical landmarks.

Developed by the IRB Sindhudurg Airport Pvt Ltd., a SPV, the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) is the nodal agency that facilitated and supervised  the entire project.

The Chipi Airport is expected to create more job opportunities and give a boost to the regional economy, considering that the Maharashtra Government has announced plans to develop the coastal Konkan as a major tourist and business-cum-leisure travel hub.