Karnataka aviation policy to go to Cabinet; Patil blames UDAN for Shivamogga halt

A policy to help civil aviation grow in Karnataka will be placed before the next meeting of the State Cabinet for approval, Industries and Infrastructure Development Minister M. B. Patil said on 10 November.

Mr. Patil said flights from Shivamogga Airport had been suspended because of shortcomings in the second round of the Centre’s UDAN scheme, The Hindu reported.

UDAN, short for Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik, is the Union government’s scheme to link smaller towns by air. It gives airlines support, for a few years, to fly routes that might not pay on their own. When that support ends, airlines often drop the routes.

Shivamogga Airport, in the Malnad region, opened in 2023.

The report did not give details of what the State’s policy would offer airlines or airports. The Union Civil Aviation Ministry’s response to Mr. Patil’s remarks was not available when this story was published.