Airport Authority of India in a press conference in New Delhi said that the government has decided and put forward a policy to set up the flying training organizations on the following airports- Belagavi, Khajuraho, Salem, Kalaburagi, and Jalgaon.
The decision by the Airport Authority of India to utilize these airports for flying training organizations on the Airports of Belagavi and more locations is made to fulfill the need for more pilots in the country.
Though the Belagavi airport is one of the busiest airports in Karnataka, the airport was renovated and expanded, and flights with satisfactory occupancy had been operating prior to the lockdown in the month of March last for preventing the spread of Covid-19.
After the lockdown, flight services resumed, norms were relaxed and domestic flights were allowed to commute in the country. From May 25 to May 31, 26 operations were conducted and 445 passengers commuted. Since than flights on different routes have commenced and by end of July 31, the 68-day period airport witnessed 855 operations and 25,300 commuters using the services. Each flight has witnessed an average occupancy of 33 passengers with small flights being operated from the city.
It can be remembered that Jayant Sinha, who is the civil aviation minister of the state, when visited Belagavi in 2018 said that there is a need for flying clubs in the Belagavi for diverse employment opportunities for the thousands of engineering and medical students studying at Belagavi to have a better opportunity for career in the aviation sector.