The Karnataka State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (KSIIDC) has invited an Expression of Interest (EOI) from private airline operators, airport operators, and infrastructure developers to manage and operate the Shivamogga airport. The move makes clear that the government’s objective is to hand over management of the only airport, hitherto run by the State government.

The airport, developed over 708 acres at Sogane, about 15 km from Shivamogga, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 27, 2023. It has been operational since August 2023. It earlier operated flights to Bengaluru, Goa, Tirupati, and Hyderabad. However, services have been affected in recent months.

The KSIIDC, in its EOI document, said the airport had shown strong growth momentum since operations began on August 31, 2023. In the first year, 2023-24, as many as 944 flights carrying 38,647 passengers were operated. This grew to 2,769 flights carrying 1.17 lakh passengers in 2024-25, and to 3,820 flights carrying 1.86 lakh passengers in 2025-26.

The airport suffered a setback recently when IndiGo and SpiceJet suspended their operations. IndiGo stopped its Shivamogga-Bengaluru service from May 1, while SpiceJet, which operated flights connecting Shivamogga with Hyderabad and Chennai, stopped operations on June 9. The airlines attributed the suspensions to multiple factors, including operational challenges arising from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s new Flight Duty Time Limitation regulations.

On the EOI, the corporation said it was meant to solicit interest, innovative ideas, and constructive inputs from prospective applicants to help structure a robust, market-responsive Request for Proposal (RFP) and bidding framework.

The KSIIDC is exploring three options: handing over the entire assets and operations to the Airports Authority of India; bifurcating the assets into different areas and awarding the licence to the private sector participant (PSP) to operate any of the operations; or leasing out the entire airport through a competitive bidding process. The EOI currently covers only the latter two options.

The last date for submitting applications is August 17, and the responses will be opened on August 19. Applicants must have experience operating at least one civil airport and an average annual turnover of not less than ₹50 crore in the last three financial years. Following the EOI, the corporation intends to select a private sector participant (PSP) through a transparent and competitive bidding process.

Published - August 07, 2026 08:33 pm IST