HUBLI: The answer to congestion and delays at Mumbai and Bangalore international airports could lie in Hubli.
North Karnataka’s only public sector airport, situated at Hubli, will soon be converted into a parking point for neighbouring international airports.
The Union Government has realised that using Hubli airport as a hangar is the only way to ease pressure on Mumbai, Pune and Bangalore airports.
These three airports already face a scarcity of parking space, especially for domestic and cargo flights. The parliamentary standing committee on Tourism Transportation and Culture had recently sent a proposal to the Ministry of Civil Aviation to consider converting Hubli airport into a parking place for international airports.
Talking to the Express, Dharwad MP Prahlad Joshi, who was a member of the standing committee earlier, confirmed that the committee had made the proposal to the Union Government.
By the end of this financial year, the Civil Aviation Ministry would form an expert committee to look into this issue, he added.
With the available facilities, ATR 72 and other smaller aircraft can land at Hubli airport. But after the expansion and upgradation into an all-weather airport, the Hubli airport can be converted to a parking point for Airbus 320s and bigger Boeing jets too.
The Karnataka government has already started the land acquisition process, under which an additional 650 acres would be acquired at a cost of Rs 195 crore, he said. Meanwhile, Kingfisher Airlines general manager has also shown interest in utilising of space in Hubli airport, Joshi added.
Presently, Hubli airport handles just two passenger services a day. If the airport is converted to a parking point, people of this region can look forward to better air connectivity and the region’s commercial and industrial products will have access to exports and to metropolitan markets.