Kolhapur Airport

Airport in Maharashtra, India

Kolhapur Airport

* IATA: KLH
* ICAO: VAKP

Summary
Airport type| Public
Owner| Airports Authority of India
Operator| Airports Authority of India
Serves| Kolhapur, Ichalkaranji
Location| Ujlaiwadi, Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India
Opened| 1987; 38 years ago (1987)
Elevation AMSL| 1,988 ft / 606 m
Coordinates| 16°39′53″N 074°17′22″E﻿ / ﻿16.66472°N 74.28944°E﻿ / 16.66472; 74.28944
Website| Kolhapur Airport
Map

KLH

Location in Maharashtra

Show map of Maharashtra

KLH

KLH (India)

Show map of India

Runways
| Direction | Length  | Surface

|
|

ft  | m
07/25  | 6,332  | 1,930  | Asphalt
Statistics (April 2024 - March 2025)
| Passengers| 158,966 ( 0.8%)

|

Aircraft movements| 3,433 ( 8.2%)
Cargo tonnage| —

Source: AAI[1][2][3]

Kolhapur Airport[4] (IATA: KLH, ICAO: VAKP), officially named as Chhatrapati Rajaram Maharaj Airport,[5] is a domestic airport serving the cities of Kolhapur and Ichalkaranji in the state of Maharashtra, India. It is situated at Ujlaiwadi, 9 km (5.6 mi) southeast from the city. It is operated by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).

## History

[edit]

The present Kolhapur Airport began operations in the year 1987 and was leased by the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) from Airports Authority of India (AAI) on 16 April 1997.[6] The lease expired in February 2012 and the MIDC requested the state government in May 2012 to be relieved of the responsibility of managing the airport.[7][8] The Maharashtra Government then handed over the airport to the AAI in August 2013.[9]

The airport was closed for repairs by order of the DGCA on 16 June 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, hand-held metal detectors, and guide lights along the airstrip at a total cost of ₹ 6 crore.[10] Kingfisher Airlines resumed commercial flights on 10 June 2011.[11] The service to Mumbai was suspended in November 2011 when the airline pulled out of several towns citing financial losses.[12] After a closure of six years, scheduled commercial operations at the airport resumed in April 2018 with Air Deccan launching its first flight to Mumbai[13] under the UDAN scheme.[14]

In March 2018, the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly passed a resolution recommending the central government to rename the airport as ‘Chhatrapati Rajaram Maharaj Airport' after the member of the erstwhile royal family of Kolhapur.[15] The First Airport Director (Kamal Kumar Kataria), was appointed on 13 December 2018 by Airports Authority of India, for purposes of the airport's development. Since 14/9/2022 Anil Haribhau Shinde is serving as the Airport Director under whose lead the new Terminal Building has been operational. Other developments include installation of Navigation Aids DVOR/DME and operations from new ATC Tower. [citation needed]

## Expansion

[edit]

The airport is undergoing a massive rebuild, making it capable of handling Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 aircraft. The foundation stone for a new terminal building and an ATC tower was laid by the former Union Civil Aviation Minister, Suresh Prabhu in February 2019.[16] The new terminal complex is built at a cost of ₹ 71 crore and cover an area of 3,900 square metres. It have 10 check-in counters, and a peak hour handling capacity of 300 passengers.[17] Along with this, the runway length is being extended to 2,300 metres, a new combined Air Traffic Control (ATC) tower, a fire and rescue building, and expanding its apron and related equipment are included. The Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) has acquired 223 hectares of adjoining land in five villages at the cost of ₹ 240 crore for this purpose.[18] The new terminal has been under construction since 2019, and is expected to be completed by early 2024.[19][20]

As of April 2021, the runway has been lengthened from 1,370 to 1,930 metres to the east of the airport, and an additional 64 acres near to state highway 277 is acquired to further extend to the full 2,300 metres. Installation of night landing facilities at the airport was completed on the runway in late 2021.[21]

The airport has been facilitated with aviation fuel facility, which means that the aircraft landing here will have the facility to refuel while on halt. The facility, according to experts, will help in carrying more passenger load, which eventually will help both the airlines as well as the passengers. The facility was provided by Hindustan Petroleum, and will henceforth remain available on a permanent basis. Earlier, the limited availability of the fuel restricted the number of passengers on board an aircraft to some extent. However, that would not be the case any more. With the availability of aviation fuel, the number of passengers will increase.[citation needed]

The airport is presently connected with Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Nagpur and Tirupati, with daily and weekly flights provided by IndiGo and low-cost airline Star Air. More airlines and routes will join in the coming years once the runway length will be extended to 2,300 meters.[22][23][24][25][26]

## New Terminal

[edit]

A new terminal building was inaugurated on 10 March 2024 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and began operations on 29 March 2024.[citation needed]

## Airlines and destinations

[edit]

Airlines| Destinations

|

IndiGo|  Bengaluru, Hyderabad
Star Air| Ahmedabad, Bengaluru , Hyderabad , Mumbai,[27] Nagpur ,[28] Tirupati

## Statistics

[edit]

This graph was using the legacy Graph extension, which is no longer supported. It needs to be converted to the new Chart extension.

|

Annual passenger traffic at KLH airport. See 1949). FILTER (?year < YEAR(NOW())) } } AS %airport WHERE { { # Get the sum of monthly values within a year SELECT ?item ?year (SUM(?max_numberperperiod) AS ?number) (SAMPLE(?monthly_reference_URL) AS ?monthly_reference_URL2) WHERE { # Get the maximal value and a sample reference URL for each unique month { SELECT ?item ?year (MAX(?numberperperiod) AS ?max_numberperperiod) (SAMPLE(?reference_URL) AS ?monthly_reference_URL) WHERE { INCLUDE %airport ?timevalue wikibase:timePrecision ?precmonth. FILTER (?precmonth =10)# precision = month } GROUP BY ?item ?year ?date } } GROUP BY ?item ?year } UNION { ?timevalue wikibase:timePrecision ?precyear. FILTER (?precyear =9)# precision = year BIND (?numberperperiod AS ?number) BIND (?reference_URL AS ?sample_reference_URL) INCLUDE %airport } OPTIONAL {?item wdt:P1813 ?this. # has shortname FILTER(LANG(?this)="en") } SERVICE wikibase:label { bd:serviceParam wikibase:language "[AUTO_LANGUAGE],en,en". ?item rdfs:label ?itemLabel.} BIND(COALESCE(?this,?itemLabel) as ?shortname) } GROUP BY ?item ?shortname ?year ORDER BY ?item DESC (?year)">Wikidata query.

## See also

[edit]

* List of airports in Maharashtra

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Annexure III – Passenger Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
2. ^ "Annexure II – Aircraft Movement Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
3. ^ "Annexure IV – Freight Movement Data" (PDF). aai.aero. Retrieved 30 April 2025.
4. ^ "Kolhapur Airport" (PDF). Airport Authority of India. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
5. ^ "Kolhapur airport renamed 'Chhatrapati Rajaram Maharaj Airport'". Hindustan Times. 5 February 2019. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
6. ^ "Need for taking over of Kolhapur Airport by Airport Authority of India". XIV Lok Sabha. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
7. ^ "MIDC not interested in Kolhapur airport operations". Sakaal Times. 10 May 2012. Archived from the original on 9 September 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
8. ^ "Maha govt sanctions Rs80 crore for Kolhapur airport expansion". DNA. 5 March 2010. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
9. ^ "AAI planning flexible use of Kolhapur airport". The Times of India. 11 December 2013. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
10. ^ "Kolhapur airport reopens after a year". Daily Bhaskar. 8 June 2011. Archived from the original on 16 September 2012. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
11. ^ "Kingfisher announces new flights". Kingfisher Airlines Media Center. 11 July 2011.
12. ^ "Kingfisher suspends Kolkata flights". Business Standard. 18 February 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2012.
13. ^ "Kolhapur airport reopens after six years with flights connecting the city to Mumbai". The Times of India. 23 April 2018. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
14. ^ "Air Deccan launches 90-minute Mumbai to Kolhapur flights under UDAN". Pune Mirror. 17 April 2018. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
15. ^ "Maharashtra's Kolhapur airport may be renamed as '[Chhatrapati Rajaram Maharaj Airport]'". Financial Express. 26 March 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2018.
16. ^ "Kolhapur to become a cargo hub". Sakal Times. 3 February 2019. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
17. ^ "Kolhapur Airport to get a new terminal building, ATC tower! Boost for UDAN flights to Mumbai, Bengaluru". Financial Express. 5 February 2019. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
18. ^ "Extension of runway with blast pad, RESA, Taxiway, Apron, GSE Area" (PDF).
19. ^ "Kolhapur Airport to get a new terminal building, ATC tower! Boost for UDAN flights to Mumbai, Bengaluru". Financialexpress. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
20. ^ "Kolhapur Airport to get new terminal building with enhanced capacity and world-class facilities". Punekar News. 11 May 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
21. ^ "Dgca Team In Kolhapur To Inspect Night Landing Facility". The Times of India. 9 June 2022. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
22. ^ "Minister of Civil Aviation, Shri Jyotiraditya Scindia inaugurates direct flights between Kolhapur and Mumbai". Orissa Diary. 4 October 2022. Retrieved 4 October 2022.
23. ^ "New Flights-IndiGo Air".
24. ^ "Jyotiraditya Scindia flagged off direct daily flight between Kolhapur-Bengaluru". Orissa Diary. 14 January 2023. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
25. ^ "IndiGo to commence Ahmedabad-Kolhapur service in Feb-2021".
26. ^ "कोल्हापूरकरांसाठी खूशखबर; Kolhapur-Nagpur विमानसेवेला 17 ऑगस्टपासून सुरुवात" [Good news for Kolhapurkars; Kolhapur-Nagpur flight starts from 17 August] (in Marathi).
27. ^ "Star Air Expands Services with New Flights Between Kolhapur and Mumbai". Star Air. 19 October 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
28. ^ "Nagpur-Kolhapur Flight Service to Start from May 15". Jagran English. 28 April 2025. Retrieved 30 April 2025.

28^"Kolhapur to Nagpur flight to operatefrom May 15".

## External links

[edit]

* Kolhapur City Airline Enquiry

* v
* t
* e

Airports in India

International

| East India|

* Agartala
* Bhubaneswar
* Gaya†
* Guwahati
* Imphal
* Kolkata
* Patna†
* Siliguri†

|

North India|

* Amritsar
* Ayodhya
* Chandigarh†
* Delhi
* Jaipur
* Kushinagar
* Lucknow
* Srinagar
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South India|

* Bengaluru
* Chennai
* Coimbatore
* Hyderabad
* Kannur
* Kochi
* Kozhikode
* Madurai†
* Mangaluru
* Port Blair
* Thiruvananthapuram
* Tiruchirappalli
* Tirupati
* Vijayawada
* Visakhapatnam†

West India|

* Ahmedabad
* Aurangabad†
* Bhopal†
* Goa-Dabolim
* Goa-Mopa
* Indore†
* Mumbai
* Nagpur
* Nashik
* Pune†
* Rajkot
* Shirdi
* Surat
* Vadodara†

* ^† Designated as customs airport by Airports Authority of India and a limited number of international flights are permitted at these airports.

Domestic/private

| East India|

| Arunachal Pradesh|

* Daporijo
* Itanagar
* Pasighat
* Tezu
* Ziro

|

Assam|

* Dhubri
* Dibrugarh
* Jorhat
* North Lakhimpur
* Silchar
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Bihar|

* Darbhanga
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Chhattisgarh|

* Ambikapur
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Jharkhand|

* Bokaro
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Meghalaya|

* Shillong
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Mizoram|

* Aizawl

Nagaland|

* Dimapur

Odisha|

* Angul
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* Sambalpur
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Sikkim|

* Gangtok

Tripura|

* Kamalpur
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West Bengal|

* Asansol
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North India|

| Haryana|

* Bhiwani
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|

Himachal Pradesh|

* Kangra
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Jammu and Kashmir|

* Jammu
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Ladakh|

* Kargil
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Punjab|

* Bathinda
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Rajasthan|

* Bikaner
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* Kota
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Uttarakhand|

* Chinyalisaur
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* Pantnagar
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Uttar Pradesh|

* Agra
* Aligarh
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* Bareilly
* Chitrakoot
* Ghaziabad
* Gorakhpur
* Kanpur
* Prayagraj
* Shravasti

South India|

| Andhra Pradesh|

* Donakonda
* Kadapa
* Kurnool
* Nagarjuna Sagar
* Puttaparthi
* Rajahmundry

|

Karnataka|

* Belgaum
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Lakshadweep|

* Agatti

Puducherry|

* Pondicherry

Tamil Nadu|

* Hosur
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Telangana|

* Begumpet

West India|

| Daman and Diu|

* Daman
* Diu

|

Gujarat|

* Bhavnagar
* Bhuj
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Madhya Pradesh|

* Gwalior
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* Khajuraho
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Maharashtra|

* Aamby Valley
* Akola
* Baramati
* Chandrapur
* Dhule
* Hadapsar
* Jalgaon
* Karad
* Kolhapur
* Latur
* Mumbai Juhu
* Nanded
* Osmanabad
* Ratnagiri
* Sindhudurg
* Solapur
* Yavatmal

Defunct/proposed

| East India|

* Jamshedpur
* Puri
* Dhamra
* Kailashahar
* Kohima
* Purnia
* Vuakmual

|

North India|

* Ghazipur
* Chaukhutia
* Gauchar
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* Lalitpur
* Ludhiana
* Mandi
* Meerut
* Moradabad
* Muirpur
* Noida
* Palia
* Raebareli
* Saharanpur

South India|

* Bhogapuram
* Bellary
* Bijapur
* Chennai
* Hassan
* Karaikal
* Karwar
* Kothagudem
* Nadirgul
* Nellore
* Nizamabad
* Ramagundam
* Sabarimala
* Thiruvambady
* Warangal

West India|

* Ankleshwar
* Chandrapur
* Datia
* Dholera
* Kota
* Navi Mumbai
* Pune
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Military

| Indian Air Force|

| Western Air Command|

* Adampur
* Ambala
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* Bathinda
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* Halwara
* Hindan
* Leh
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* Sarsawa
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|

Eastern Air Command|

* Agartala
* Along
* Bagdogra
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* Charbatia
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Central Air Command|

* Agra
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Southern Air Command|

* Coimbatore
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* Thanjavur

South Western Air Command|

* Bhuj
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* Jamnagar
* Jodhpur
* Lohegaon
* Makarpura
* Naliya
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* Uttarlai

Training Command|

* Begumpet
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Maintenance Command|

* Nagpur
* Ojhar

Indian Navy|

| Eastern Naval Command|

* Arakkonam
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|

Western Naval Command|

* Dabolim
* Mumbai

Southern Naval Command|

* Kochi

Indian Army|

* Nashik
* Jhansi

Indian Coast Guard|

* Daman

Joint|

* Campbell Bay
* Car Nicobar
* Diglipur
* Port Blair

State-wise list of airports

* Andaman and Nicobar Islands
* Andhra Pradesh
* Arunachal Pradesh
* Assam
* Bihar
* Chandigarh
* Chhattisgarh
* Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu
* Delhi
* Goa
* Gujarat
* Haryana
* Himachal Pradesh
* Jammu and Kashmir
* Jharkhand
* Karnataka
* Kerala
* Ladakh
* Lakshadweep
* Madhya Pradesh
* Maharashtra
* Manipur
* Meghalaya
* Mizoram
* Nagaland
* Odisha
* Puducherry
* Punjab
* Rajasthan
* Sikkim
* Tamil Nadu
* Telangana
* Tripura
* Uttarakhand
* Uttar Pradesh
* West Bengal

* v
* t
* e

Kolhapur district topics

History|

* Battle of Kolhapur
* Kolhapur State
* Panhala Fort
* Shahu IV of Kolhapur

Geography|

* Panchganga River
* Chitri Dam
* Kudnur Dam
* Radhanagari Dam
* Tillari (Forebay) Dam
* Tillari (Main) Dam

Cities and towns|

* Ajara
* Uttur
* Chandgad
* Gadhinglaj
* Halkarni
* Hatkanangale
* Harali
* Ichalkaranji
* Jaysingpur
* Kadgaon
* Kagal
* Kolhapur
* Mahagaon, Gadhinglaj
* Mugruwadi
* Murgud
* Nesari
* Shirol

Transport|

* Amba Ghat
* Kolhapur Airport
* MH SH 134
* NH 48
* NH 166

Visitor attractions|

* Bhavani Mandap
* Jyotiba Temple
* Khasbag Wrestling Stadium
* Kumbhoj
* Mahalakshmi Temple
* Narsobawadi
* Rajarampuri
* Rankala Lake
* Shalini Palace
* Shree Chhatrapati Shahu Museum
* Siddhagiri Gramjivan Museum

Culture|

* Kolhapuri chappal
* Maharashtra Film Company
* Veg kolhapuri

Education|

* D. Y. Patil College of Engineering and Technology
* Private High School Kolhapur
* R.C.S.M. Govt Medical College and CPR Hospital
* Rajaram College
* St. Xavier's School
* Shivaji University
* Vidyapeeth Highschool

Lok Sabha constituencies|

* Hatkanangle ‡
* Kolhapur

Vidhan Sabha
constituencies|

| Hatkanangle ‡|

* Hatkanangale
* Ichalkaranji
* Shahuwadi
* Shirol

|

Kolhapur|

* Chandgad
* Kagal
* Karvir
* Kolhapur North
* Kolhapur South
* Radhanagari

Taluka/Tehsil|

* Gadhinglaj
* Shirol

Stadiums|

* Rajarshi Shahu Stadium
* Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji Stadium
* Khasbag Wrestling Stadium

‡ This constituency also has portions in Sangli district

See also
Districts of Maharashtra
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