Claim they have to depend on Goa airports even for domestic air travel
Belagavi Cloth Merchants Association President Satish Tendulkar accompanied by the traders team handing over the memorandum to Belagavi Airport Director Thyagarajan. Photo: Louis Rodrigues
Stating that they have to depend on Goa airport even for the domestic air travel, Belagavi’s trading community has raised serious concerns over the rapid decline in air connectivity from Belagavi city.
The traders have warned that the contraction could undermine economic growth, investor confidence, and the region’s Smart City ambitions.
Centrally located from Goa and Maharashtra, many travellers from both the areas of Maharashtra and Goa use Belgavi airport for their domestic travels.
In a detailed representation submitted on Friday, Belagavi Cloth Merchants Association (BCMA) and the Traders Forum urged the Airports Authority of India (AAI) to urgently intervene and restore suspended passenger air services from Belagavi.
The memorandum, addressed to the Chief Airport Director, highlights Belagavi’s strategic importance as Karnataka’s second capital, home to the Suvarna Vidhana Soudha, multiple courts, divisional offices, and key defence institutions.
The city also serves as a major textile, silk, yarn, and saree trading hub, attracting buyers and business delegations from across India and abroad.
"Under the Government of India’s UDAN scheme, Belagavi once enjoyed one of the highest numbers of sanctioned routes in the country. At its peak, the city was directly connected to 15 destinations, including Mumbai, Pune, Surat, Nagpur, Indore, Jodhpur, and Tirupati,” said BCMA President and noted entrepreneur Satish Tendulkar.
“Now, the frequency has been reduced to only five destinations, due to which we have to travel via Goa for domestic air travels.”
Passenger data presented by the traders’ bodies underscores strong demand. Annual footfall rose steadily after the pandemic, peaking at over 3.47 lakh passengers in 2024, dispelling perceptions of poor commercial viability.
However, the current scenario has triggered alarm within Belagavi’s trading community.
On January 1, only five destinations were visible on booking systems, with services expected to shrink further to just three—Delhi, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad—by mid-January.
This downsizing comes even as a new terminal building is under construction, backed by land acquisition and public expectations of improved connectivity.
The traders warned that such regression sends a negative signal to industries, educational institutions, and investors who depend on fast and reliable air travel. They called for immediate restoration of previously operational routes and closer coordination between airlines, the Ministry of Civil Aviation, and AAI to ensure that infrastructure expansion translates into real connectivity gains.
Describing air services as a “basic economic enabler,” the BCMA and Traders Forum stressed that sustained flight connectivity is essential for Belagavi’s long-term competitiveness and regional development.
