The Keshod airport near Gir, the home of Asiatic lions, will begin commercial operations after 21 years.
Jyotiraditya Scindia, the Union Civil Aviation Minister, will inaugurate the new airport on March 12 and flag off the first flight to Mumbai.
The decision to open this airport was made in 2018, but it was postponed pending approval from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
The Keshod airport has been developed under the revival of airports scheme of the government of India at the cost of Rs 25 crore. Alliance Air, under regional connectivity scheme (RCS)-UDAN will start the operations.
Keshod airport director P L Prasanna said, “A 72-seater Mumbai-Keshod-Mumbai flight will be operational from March 12. We are planning one more flight to Ahmedabad once the re-carpeting work of the runway there is completed.”
He added that the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has obtained all the regulatory approvals and licences to start scheduled flights. The terminal is capable of handling 75 passengers at a time.
The last home of Asiatic lions, Sasan-Gir, is 50 kilometres from Keshod. The increased flight accessibility is expected to boost tourism in both Sasan and Gir National Park. Tourists arriving from other states are currently required to fly into Rajkot and then drive 3-4 hours to Sasan.
Junagadh, 35 kilometres from Keshod, is also being developed as a historical city, and the number of tourists has risen dramatically since the opening of the Girnar Mountain Ropeway. Tourists are expected to pay a visit to Somnath temple, which is only 55 kilometres from Keshod.