Kolhapur Airport is an airport in Kolhapur, Maharashtra

Maharashtra

Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...

, India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. It is situated at Ujlaiwadi which is 9 km South-East from Kolhapur city.

History

In January 1939, Air Services of India, a private airline based out of Juhu

Juhu Aerodrome

Juhu Aerodrome an airport serving Mumbai, was India's first civil aviation airport. It is currently used by small private aircraft and as a heliport....

,(which was Mumbai's airport at that time)
began air services to the princely state of Kolhapur

Kolhapur (princely state)

Kolhapur State was a princely State of British India, under the Deccan Division of the Bombay Presidency, and later the Deccan States Agency. It was considered the fourth most important Mahratta principalities, the other three being Baroda State, Gwalior State and Indore State...

. The service was officially inaugurated by the Maharaja of Kolhapur, Honorable Shri. Rajaram Maharaj

Rajaram II

Rajaram II was the Maharaja of Kolhapur from 1922–1940, succeeding his father Maharaja Shahu IV. A benevolent ruler, he was instrumental in the uplifting of the dalits and depressed castes in his state...

, who had shown considerable interest in the project and offered a subsidy to the company, apart from arranging for the necessary aerodrome facilities in his capital.
The present Kolhapur Airport began operations in the year 1987 and was leased by the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation

Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation

Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation is a project of the Government of Maharashta State in India, and is the leading corporation of Maharashtra....

 (MIDC) from Airports Authority of India

Airports Authority of India

The Airports Authority of India is an organization working under the Ministry of Civil Aviation that manages most of the airports in India. The AAI manages and operates 126 airports including 16 international airports, 89 domestic airports and 26 civil enclaves. The corporate headquarters are at...

 (AAI) on 16 April, 1997.
The lease that expires in 2012.

Incidents

The airport was closed for repairs by order of the DGCA on June 16, 2010 after the runway surface was found to be unsafe in the monsoons. Due to the closure, flights into Kolhapur were temporarily suspended. DGCA gave its approval for re-opening of the airport in April 2011 after MIDC repaired the 1,370 metre long and 50 metre wide runway. MIDC also added facilities like closed circuit television system, baggage scanner, door-frame and hand-held metal detectors and guide lights along the airstrip at a total cost of Rs 6 crore. Commercial flights have since resumed.

Future Developments

Kolhapur airport is set for another major upgrade that will make it capable of handling Boeing 737

Boeing 737

The Boeing 737 is a short- to medium-range, twin-engine narrow-body jet airliner. Originally developed as a shorter, lower-cost twin-engine airliner derived from Boeing's 707 and 727, the 737 has developed into a family of nine passenger models with a capacity of 85 to 215 passengers...

 aircraft. This primarily involves increasing runway length to 3,300 metres and expanding its apron and related equipment. Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation

Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation

Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation is a project of the Government of Maharashta State in India, and is the leading corporation of Maharashtra....

(MIDC) will acquire 223 hectares of adjoining land from local farmers in five villages at the cost of Rs 80 crore for this purpouse.