The inauguration of the international airport is in a way part of the celebrations. Image courtesy Twitter/@rashtrapatibhvn
The Shirdi International Airport was inaugurated by President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday.
The President also flagged off the inaugural flight from Shirdi to Mumbai.
Kovind was accompanied by Maharashtra Governor CH Vidyasagar Rao, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Leader of Opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil during the visit to Shirdi in Ahmednagar district.
The year 2018 marks the 100 anniversary of the samadhi of Shri Sai Baba, one of the most revered saints of the globe. Shri Sai Baba left for heavenly abode on the auspicious day of Vijay Dashami, 15 October 1918.
The Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust of Shirdi is celebrating the centenary year of Shri Sai Baba of Shirdi from 1 October this year to October 18, 2018.
The inauguration of the international airport is in a way part of the celebrations.
Travel time between Mumbai and Shirdi is expected to be cut to 45 minutes. Currently, it takes approximately nine hours by train and ten hours by road for a distance of about 240 kilometres. The runway at the airport is reportedly long enough to allow for Airbus A-320 and Boeing 737 aircraft.
The Shirdi airport, spread over 400 hectares, is located at Kakdi village about 15 km south-west of Shirdi. The airport has been built by the Maharashtra Airport Development Company (MADC).
The Ahmednagar district, around 250 km away from Mumbai. The pilgrims access Shirdi via road, Sainagar Shirdi Railway Station and the Aurangabad Airport located 125 km from Shirdi.
The airport project is part of the Maharashtra Government's effort to promote religious tourism at Shirdi, known for the temple of Sai Baba. Around 80,000 devotees visit the temple town daily and the numbers go up to 5 lakh per day during weekends, vacations and festivals.