Kingfisher to commence Nashik-Mumbai flight

After a span of over two years, Nashik-Mumbai air service is set to resume from Ozhar airbase, 17 kms away from the city.

Kingfisher Airlines has geared up to start Nashik-Mumbai flight from Ozhar airbase, next week. The flight will take off from Nashik at 8.45 am and depart from Mumbai at 4.00 pm.

Lack of air service from Nashik and delays in Mumbai-Nashik four lane works had badly affected Nashik’s IT and business process outsourcing (BPO) service industry as only two BPO companies have been operational in Nashik since close to two years.

Nashik has two airstrips, one belonging to the army establishment at Gandhinagar in the city and the other to Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) at Ozhar.

In March 2005, Air Deccan had initiated a 48-seater flight between Nashik-Mumbai, from Ozhar but closed it within 16 months due to poor response, as an average of only 15 to 18 people used to commute daily.

As a result, Air Deccan had put pressure on MIDC to shift the location of the airport to Gandhinagar army airbase in the city as the Ozhar airbase proved unviable for the airline. Besides, local industrialists, business groups and trade lobbies had also opposed the air service from Ozhar airbase.

Thereafter at a meeting, the then senior MIDC officials and the then Nashik Divisional (Revenue) Commissioner had decided to send a proposal in this regard to the defense department through MIDC.

Accordingly, MIDC had immediately sent the proposal to the defense establishment in Pune, to allow use of Gandhinagar army airbase for civil flights. However, since then, no decision has been taken and the proposal has been gathering dust for the last two-and-a-half years.

During 1972-1989, the Nashik-Mumbai air service had been operational by Indian Airlines from the army airbase at Gandhinagar. Thereafter, Vayudoot had taken over this air service, which was operational upto 1992.

With an aim to connect major cities in the country through air service, the state government had again started Nashik-Mumbai air service in April 1997, jointly by Span Airlines, from the army airbase at Gandhinagar. This service was closed on 30 June, 1997 due to bad weather.

Later, after a span of seven years, the Nashik-Mumbai air service was again started in March 2005. This time, the air service was started from Ozhar airbase, but was closed again in July 2006. Kingfisher airlines will now commence Nashik-Mumbai air service from Ozhar airbase next week.