Shivamogga MP BY Raghavendra has urged the Karnataka government to provide immediate funding support for Shivamogga airport after IndiGo suspended operations and Star Air’s services under the Union government’s UDAN scheme approached the end of their contract.
Raghavendra said viability gap funding was needed to sustain flights from Rashtrakavi Kuvempu Airport and prevent a complete disruption of air connectivity to the district. Speaking to reporters in Shivamogga on Monday, he sought assistance comparable to the Rs 14 crore in annual support provided to the airports in Kalaburagi and Bidar.
The appeal places the airport’s future operations within Karnataka’s broader question of how smaller regional airports can maintain services when passenger demand and airline revenues are not sufficient to support routes on a commercial basis. Under such a model, public funding is used to bridge the gap between the cost of operating a route and the revenue generated from passengers.
According to Raghavendra, nearly 4.2 lakh passengers used Shivamogga airport over the past three years. He said the figure demonstrated demand for the airport and argued that continued air connectivity was important for tourism, trade and industrial activity in the district.
The MP also expressed disappointment that Shivamogga was left out of the Karnataka government’s priority flight route list prepared in September. He said formal requests had been submitted to state Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh and Infrastructure Development Department Secretary Vishal to include the airport in the upcoming UDAN 6.0 scheme.
The proposed routes would connect Shivamogga with Bengaluru, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Goa and Chennai. The requested destinations would link the district to major business, administrative, tourism and aviation hubs, although the report does not establish whether airlines have committed to operating these routes or whether the state government has approved the requested funding.
The situation highlights the operational vulnerability of regional airports after time-bound route support ends. Star Air’s services at Shivamogga are currently being operated under the UDAN scheme, but Raghavendra said the airline’s contract was nearing its conclusion. With IndiGo no longer operating, the airport’s scheduled connectivity could become dependent on the outcome of the next funding and route-allocation decisions.
For residents and businesses, the immediate issue is whether existing services will continue and whether new routes can be secured before the current support arrangement expires. Any prolonged interruption would affect the availability of direct air travel for passengers who currently use the airport, while also increasing dependence on road and rail journeys to reach larger aviation hubs.
Raghavendra’s request is for the Karnataka government to extend viability gap funding and pursue Shivamogga’s inclusion in UDAN 6.0. The next formal steps are expected to involve the state government’s consideration of the funding proposal and the Union government’s decisions on routes under the upcoming UDAN phase.
