Groundwork at Neyveli airport done, interested airlines send in bids for opening

CHENNAI: The Neyveli airport is a step closer to opening as the ministry of civil aviation has received bids from some airlines to start flights from the airstrip under the regional connectivity scheme Udan.
The groundwork to ready the airstrip for flights has already been done by the Airports Authority of India (AAI). The ministry has no plans to open Ulundurpet airstrip as there is no demand.
A hint that Neyveli may soon be commissioned came when minister of state for civil aviation, Hardeep Singh Puri, said in response to a question in Parliament that airlines have bid for routes from Neyveli.
The ministry is looking to connect the town to Chennai through small planes. There may be a chance to start flights to Bengaluru too.
Neyveli was among the first set of airports opened for bidding under Udan. But the process was delayed as the airport was not ready and then an airline, which had made bid for routes, did not take off. Salem is the only airport which has been operationalized under Udan, from which Trujet is operating flights to Chennai.
The minister said Ulundurpet, which had been listed as an airport that could be taken up under Udan, would not be developed. “Since Neyveli is only 24km from Ulundurpet, focus will be given to develop Neyveli,” he said in Parliament.
The state government is looking at opening Hosur airport but is yet to get clearance from Bengaluru, which is the closest major airport. Thanjavur is the next Udan airport which will be opened in the coming year as air traffic control work has been completed and terminal building work will be started soon.
Riding on the interest generated by Udan, airlines have started many services from Chennai to small airports across the country. Recent services include flights to Varanasi, Kannur, Rajahmundry, Belgaum, Patna, Lucknow, Shirdi and others.