Belagavi: Air connectivity for Belagavi residents suffered a major setback with the suspension of Belagavi–Mumbai flight service, effective from Dec 26, causing widespread disappointment among passengers. Despite a healthy passenger response, the direct flight to Mumbai was discontinued, forcing travellers to depend on airports in neighbouring cities or undertake long road journeys to reach Mumbai. The closure came as a shock, especially at the end of the year, when travel demand is typically high.At one point, Belagavi airport offered direct flight services to as many as 12 cities. However, with routes being withdrawn in phases, the number of destinations has now reduced to just five. This has sparked concerns among the locals.Currently, IndiGo operates flights from Belagavi to Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and New Delhi, while Star Air provides connectivity to Ahmedabad and Jaipur. Star Air suspended its services to Mumbai, which caused particular inconvenience, with passengers alleging that ticket bookings had already stopped nearly 15 days ago.Earlier, flight services from Belagavi to Tirupati, Pune, Surat, Indore, and Nagpur were also discontinued. Sources indicate that Star Air has diverted aircraft deployed on Belagavi–Mumbai route to other sectors, further weakening the city’s air connectivity.Sambra Airport director Thyagarajan said, “Belagavi–Mumbai flight service has been suspended since Dec 26. At present, flights operate from Belagavi to five cities. Star Air was operating the Mumbai service. Discussions are underway with other airlines to resume connectivity to Mumbai.”
