First flight to land at Shivamogga airport on Aug 31; MB Patil, Yediyurappa to be on board

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], August 29 : The first flight to Shivamogga is scheduled to land at the newly constructed Shivamogga Airport on Thursday.
The Indigo flight is scheduled to depart from Bengaluru's Kempe Gowda International Airport at 9.50 am and arrive at the Shivamogga Airport at 11.05 am.
The passengers on the inaugural flight will include, state ministers MB Patil and Madhu Bangarappa, former Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, MP BY Raghavendra, and other public representatives from the Malnad region.
Infrastructure Development Minister MB Patil, in a press release on Tuesday, said that the Shivamogga Airport will become the first airport run by the state government. "It is expected to contribute significantly to the economic, industrial, tourism, and educational development of the region", he said.
He further stated that the Shivamogga Airport will serve as a vital connecting hub for the Malnad and Central Karnataka districts.
According to Patil, there will be a celebratory Water Canon Salute once the flight lands.
He mentioned that the initial response to the flight service has been positive, with tickets booked in advance for the next three weeks.
The service will also benefit people from the surrounding districts of Chikkamagalu, Davangere, Chitradurga, and Haveri. The subsequent focus will be on connecting destinations like Delhi, Hyderabad, Tirupati, Chennai, and Goa by offering direct flight services, said the statement.
Patil further stated that the tender has already been floated under the UDAN scheme to expand flight services from Shivamogga.