Why in news? Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a new airport in Shivamogga.

Highlights

• It was named after Kuvempu, the first Kannada writer to win the Jnanpith Award and who hails from Shivamogga.
• The Then Chief Minister of Karnataka, B. S. Yediyurappa, laid the foundation stone to start the construction of the airport
• The facility has been developed at a cost of around Rs 450 crore.
• The lotus shaped passenger terminal building of the airport can handle 300 passengers per hour.
• It will also improve connectivity and accessibility to Shivamogga and other neighbouring areas in the Malnad region like Shivamogga, Chikkamagaluru and Hassan.
• The runway of the Shivamogga airport is 3,200 metre in length, the second-longest in Karnataka after Bengaluru airport.
• The airport was to be built under Public–private partnership (PPP) with the Government of Karnataka.
• This airport is only airport in mid Karnataka
• The airport is designed to operate Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 type aircraft.
• Recently, the Shivamogga airport’s landing strip was tested by the Indian Air Force with a successful landing attempt with a passenger jet.
• Over the past few years, the government has been taking various initiatives, especially the UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) scheme, to boost the regional air connectivity.