The capital of Karnataka, the IT city of India, Bangalore has a lot to offer for those travelling all the way from Delhi. Apart from all the tourist places in the city, there are also a lot of other beautiful cities that are located near Bangalore. Belgaum is one such place that is located in the Western Ghats.
Belgaum is a beautiful city that is located on the border between Karnataka and Maharashtra. The town is located in northern Karnataka and is in proximity to the evergreen Western Ghats. There are many nearby tourist locations. The Doodhsagar Falls, Castle Rock Railway stations, etc. all lie in the midst of the Western Ghats. Doodhsagar Falls is named in that way since the water falling looks like an ocean of milk, and it is that pure and white. All this is located very close to Belgaum, making Belgaum the northern capital of Karnataka as many people put it. The place is also situated very close to Goa, another tourist hub of India.
The Belgaum Airport is the domestic airport that serves the city of Belgaum and another close by regions. The airport is located about 10 kilometres east of Belgaum, in a remote village named Sambra. Hence, the Belgaum airport is also called the Sambra airport according to the locals. The airport is governed by the AAI or the Airports Authority of India. It is located at an elevation of about 760 meters or 2500 feet. Civil Aviation Minister Mr. Ashok Ganapathi Raju inaugurated the much awaited new terminal of the Belgaum airport during September in 2017. Also, the recruits to the air force training get their basic military training at the Belgaum Airport.
The Belgaum Airport was built in the year 1942 under the supervision of the Royal Air Force (RAF). This is the oldest airport of North Karnataka. The services stopped in the late 1990’s due to poor passenger turn up. Deccan Air resumed services from the Belgaum airport to the capital of Karnataka – Bangalore in the year 2003. Kingfisher Airlines started flying its plane from Belgaum to critical neighbouring cities in 2008, but the services had to be put on hold due to low passenger occupancy. As of today, SpiceJet is the only primary airline service that operates from the Belgaum Airport.
Work began with the extension of the runway, taxiway, and the isolation bay. A tall new 22.5 meter ATC Tower (Air Traffic Control). The new terminal was opened on the 14th of September in the year 2017. It was part of the renovation program of the airport and was opened successfully. The terminal is massive and can hold up to 300 passengers. The area occupied by this terminal is over 3600 meters. There are two conveyor belts for the luggage, and there are six terminal check-in counters. The terminal has an apron that can accommodate the parking of about three Airbus A320s and one Boeing 737 aircraft. There are plans of installing a new runway approach lighting system, but this was deemed not possible till the obstructing road around the airport is closed.
In case, you want to travel to Belgaum from Delhi, it is best you take two flights. Look upon the Delhi Bangalore flights schedule and book a flight to Bangalore. Then book another flight from Bangalore to Mangalore to complete the trip. You could also book a flight from Delhi to Goa and then travel by bus or train to Belgaum.
