Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol took to X (formerly Twitter) early on Saturday and informed that Solapur-Mumbai flights will begin soon.
"I was in discussions with airline companies to start service between the newly operational Solapur airport and the Mumbai airport. They were hesitating as there was a financial shortfall. The airline companies requested financial support along the lines of the Ude Desh ka Aam Nagarik (UDAN) scheme of the central government. I had written a letter about this to Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis. Thanks to him, this VGF scheme has been cleared in cabinet meeting of the state government. This means the Solapur-Mumbai air service is now possible! Other cities would be connected to Solapur as well under the UDAN scheme," Mohol wrote, thanking Fadnavis along with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently inaugurated the Solapur airport which would significantly improve connectivity, making the city more accessible to tourists, business travellers and investors. The existing terminal building of Solapur has been revamped to serve around 4.1 lakh passengers annually.
Speaking on the occasion, the PM said. "With the blessings of Lord Vitthal, his devotees have also received the gift of affection. The work of upgrading the airport has been completed to provide direct air connectivity to Solapur. The capacity of the terminal building here has been increased, new facilities have been created for the passengers. This will be very convenient for the devotees of Vithoba. Now people will be able to reach Solapur directly to have the darshan of Lord Vitthal."
