Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said the Union Aviation Minister is ‘seriously’ considering upgrading Hubballi domestic airport to ‘international-level’.
In a press release issued on January 2, Joshi said Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has responded positively to a proposal requesting the expansion of the Hubballi Airport terminal. If developed, the airport will become the third international airport in Karnataka and the first in the entire north of Karnataka.
Hubballi Airport Director Pramod Kumar Thakre said so far they have not received any official communication from either the Aviation Ministry or the Airport Authority of India.
"However, we have received sufficient input from the higher officials regarding the expansion", said Thakre.
Currently, the airport in twin cities has a 3,600 sq mt terminal, which is handling five lakh passengers annually, and a proposal has been sent to expand this terminal by another 16,400 sq mt to make sure that the total terminal area is expanded to 20,000 sq mt. The requested expansion will enable the airport to handle 1,400 passengers (700 arrivals and 700 departures) at a time with a current capacity of 300 passengers.
The proposal has also requested to set up three air bridges, he said.
Thakre said the present 2,600 mt long and 45 mt wide runway is sufficient to handle international flights.
He said they are expecting official confirmation to be received by this financial year's end and work will be completed within one year. The Airport Director said the expansion work will not affect the functioning of the airport.
Hubballi Airport Advisory Committee member Sunil Nalvade said it has been a long pending demand from the people of the region to start international flights from Hubballi, the third busiest airport in Karnataka. Upgradation is the first step in starting international flights, he said adding that, to begin with, the AAI should connect Hubballi with Gulf countries.
The starting up of international flights will boost tourism, trade and educational connections in the region, he said.