Residents of Belagavi have been dealt a severe blow to their air travel options with the sudden suspension of the direct flight service to Mumbai. The service was halted effective December 26, leaving passengers stranded and forcing them to seek costly and time-consuming alternatives.
A Sudden Halt to a Vital Connection
The decision to discontinue the Belagavi-Mumbai route came as a shock to the local community, especially during the peak year-end travel season. Despite reporting a healthy passenger response, the operator, Star Air, suspended the service. Passengers have reported that ticket bookings for the route were stopped nearly 15 days before the official suspension date, adding to the confusion and inconvenience.
This suspension marks a significant downgrade for Belagavi's Sambra Airport, which once boasted direct connections to 12 cities. Over time, routes have been withdrawn in phases, drastically shrinking the network. Earlier, flights to destinations like Tirupati, Pune, Surat, Indore, and Nagpur were also discontinued.
Current Connectivity and Passenger Fallout
With the latest cut, Belagavi's air connectivity now stands at just five cities. Currently, IndiGo operates flights to Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and New Delhi. Star Air continues to provide service to Ahmedabad and Jaipur but has pulled out of Mumbai.
The suspension forces travelers to either depend on airports in neighboring cities or undertake long and arduous road journeys to reach India's financial capital. This has sparked widespread concern and disappointment among business travelers, students, and families who relied on the direct link.
Official Response and Future Hopes
Sambra Airport director Thyagarajan confirmed the suspension of the Belagavi-Mumbai service. He stated that discussions are actively underway with other airlines to resume connectivity to Mumbai, offering a glimmer of hope for the future.
Sources indicate that Star Air has diverted the aircraft previously deployed on the Belagavi-Mumbai sector to other routes, further weakening the city's air infrastructure. The move highlights the ongoing challenges faced by regional air connectivity in India, where commercial viability often trumps passenger convenience, leaving cities like Belagavi grappling with reduced access.
