Shirdi: President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday inaugurated the newly-built airport in Shirdi. The first flight from the airport was to Mumbai and was
operated by Alliance Air.
Airport sources said the president’s aircraft touched down from New Delhi at the Shirdi airport at 10.30 am. Kovind dedicated the Shirdi airport to the people. The airport secured the aerodrome licence from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for commercial operations last month.
Located at 238 km from Mumbai, Shirdi has the famous shrine of Sai Baba and is one of the prominent pilgrimage centres in the country. According to an estimate, about 60,000 pilgrims visit Shirdi everyday, out of which the airport authorities plan to tap at least 10-12 per cent.
This is the centenary year of the death of Sai Baba. The aerodrome is owned and developed by Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC), a special purpose vehicle (SPV) to develop airports in the state. The trials of flights from the airport had been conducted recently.
