More flights from Shirdi airport soon; Jet Airways, SpiceJet services likely

A senior MADC official said SpiceJet plans to connect Bengaluru and Mumbai with Shirdi while Jet Airways would introduce flights between Delhi and Shirdi. (Representational Image)

At least six more flights, connecting the Shirdi airport to tier-I cities, are planned by the yearend, according to the Maharashtra Airport Development Corporation (MADC), which operates the airport. Jet Airways and SpiceJet are expected to operate flights from the airport.

At present, Alliance Air, a subsidiary of Air India, operates two Hyderabad-Shirdi-Mumbai flights. According to MADC, the airline plans to increase the frequency of flights to three from August 11.

“Alliance Air will be adding to the frequency of flights… From August 11, three flights will operate out of Shirdi airport,” said Suresh Kakani, MADC Managing Director and Vice Chairman.

Inaugurated on October 1, the Hyderabad-Shirdi route is popular and sees close to 80 per cent occupancy on all days. The route has allowed tourists, who would otherwise come by road or rail to the pilgrim town, to switch to air travel.

A senior MADC official said SpiceJet plans to connect Bengaluru and Mumbai with Shirdi while Jet Airways would introduce flights between Delhi and Shirdi.

“While SpiceJet conducted their checks at the airport this week, Jet Airways has also expressed interest to start flights from the airport. Even low-cost airline TruJet plans to connect Shirdi with Hyderabad,” Kakani added. Officials said they also plan to install night landing facilities at the Shirdi airport soon. This will allow flights to operate from the airport even after 6 pm.

“We have also made fuel arrangements at the airport from August 7. Unlike before, where they would require to fly to Mumbai or Pune for fueling jet tanks, suitable arrangements have been made at the Shirdi airport. We also introduced baggage handling at the airport two weeks back,” Kakani said.

MADC plans to extend the length of the runway from 2,500 meters to 3,200 meters to enable widebody aircraft to operate out of the airport.