A familiarization flight from Mumbai to Sindhudurg landed today at Parule Chipi Greenfield airport in Sindhudurg district of the Konkan region of Maharashtra. With this successful test flight access to the Konkan coast of Maharashtra will become easier and some of Maharashtra’s top tourist attractions will become accessible to visitors from all over India. Commercial flights will become operational from December this year.
The airport is located between Malvan and Vengurla, the Tarkarli beach and Sindhudurg fort are 20 kms away. The commissioning of this airport also improves accessibility to North Goa. The beaches of Tiracol, Arambol and Mandrem are equidistant from Goa’s Dabolim airport.
The 2,500 meters runway will be able to handle aircrafts like the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737. The terminal building has the capacity to handle 400 passengers at its peak.
Civil Aviation Minister, Suresh Prabhu, has asked the airport management company and Maharashtra State Government to resolve the pending issues related to ILS installation and VOR installation so that regular operations may begin on schedule.
The co-pilot of the flight was a local girl from Devgad in Sindhudurg district.
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MM