Sindhudurg Chipi Airport – First Konkan Airport

Last Updated on February 25, 2025 by Mrunal & Jiten

Sindhudurg Chipi Airport? Yes, you heard it right. This will be the first airport to reach Konkan easily.

But here comes the good news for all of us. Konkan will have its own Airport.

Sindhudurg Chipi Airport

I am a beach person! I love to laze on the beach with the wind in my hair, watching the sun go down on the glorious horizon. I also love competing with my friends on the water scooter or diving underwater for scuba diving.

Flights are operated by Alliance Airlines [Air India] – 70 seaters plane. Below are the ticket prices.

Places to Visit Near Sindhudurg

Airport in Sindhudurg to function from 9th October 2021: Maharashtra CM Inaugurates Sindhudurg airport

But I don’t like crowded beaches!

The reason why I always take a train on the Konkan Railway and go to Sindhudurg during my weekends. Some of my friends from my college days join me by Road.

Sadly, two of my closest buddies never make it. One lives in the North East and the other in the south. Half their weekend goes in traveling and they are too exhausted by the journey to have fun.

When I heard about the opening of Sindhudurg airport, my joy knew no bounds. Now all of us, irrespective of our location, can have the long-pending get-together.

How Aviation help Tourism

It is a proven fact that the aviation industry has boosted Tourism in many parts of the Globe. The biggest example is Africa. With flights entering the Dark Continent, people from any part of the world can explore this land and see wildlife, and experience ethnic culture up-close.

Aviation will also open up more job opportunities to locals.

Aviation also boosts regional tourism. Tourists from other parts of India have equal access to unexplored places that are not connected by road or rail.  

Goa was the close airport to Konkan

I live in the busy Mumbai Metropolis. In case I want to visit a serene place like Sindhudurg, I would need to start early and travel for 6 hours to reach this place.

My South Indian and North West friends had to arrive at the nearest Goa airport first (about 110 km away) then take a 4-hour journey and waste a major part of their holiday travel.

The Konkan region is blessed with numerous beaches, temples, and forts.

Many visitors, especially from Maharashtra visit this place because it is close by and one can go during weekends to enjoy them.

• Sparkling beaches,
• Sturdy forts depicting the glory of this area.
• Hill station such as Matheran and Amboli
• Waterfalls and Lakes
• Eco-parks Endangered and rare species, even marine life
• Watersports including Scuba diving.

With the coming of the Airport, new tourists can visit Konkan, even foreign visitors.

This means connectivity to new places in North Karnataka, Maharashtra – west and some parts of Goa are possible areas because of this airport.

About Sindhudurg Airport

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu opened the new airport under the UDAN Scheme on 5^th March 2019.

It has been constructed at the cost of Rs.520 crore. Some of its splendid and user-friendly features are:

• 2500 meter long runway to handle A-20 and B737 aircrafts
• during peak hours it can handle 200 departing and 200 arrival passengers
• Fire Station
• Airport Apron,
• Isolation Bay
• Taxiway
• Boundary wall
• Modern Terminal building
• Other additional facilities like security have been completed.

The airport will be operational soon. There will be flights connecting this city to major cities like Pune, Mumbai, and Nashik.

How it will help tourism

Sindhudurg district is carved out of the erstwhile Ratnagiri district on the Konkan coast of India. It is near Goa, full of scenic adventures and picnic spots, Fresh Fruits, nuts, seafood, and more

You can come from any part of the country here, even on a weekend trip, as now travel time has come down drastically. You can also enjoy, economic accommodation, mouthwatering cuisine, and unexplored beaches and experience the cool coastal life of this jewel aside from the Arabian Sea. The airport can handle 400 passengers per hour.

Attractions near Sindhudurg – beaches, fort, places etc.

Place and sights to explore here are…

Forts

• Sindhudurg fort – historical trip

The city gets its name from the Fort built by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Huge ramparts with walls of 30 feet thick walls, 52 bastions, and watchtowers make this Fort a must-visit for lovers of history and architecture.

• Vijay Durg Fort

It is also known as Victory Fort/Gheria. Built by Bijapur rulers, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj later added 3 walls and huge towers in the 17^th century. This fort is a Witness to the famous wars between Marathas and Europeans

Nature tourism

Nature has blessed this land immensely. See glimpses of it at

• Malvan marine life sanctuary – numerous fish species

Spread over 3.18 sq km this marine sanctuary has 30 species of rare fish and rare water plants. In the surrounding islands, you will also get to see varieties of grooves of Neem Kadam, Palas, and Hedu.

• Amboli waterfall

Visit the beautiful Amboli Waterfall during the monsoon season and enjoy water sports activities there.

There are innumerable beaches also, which warrants a separate heading.

Temples

The devout can go to various temples …

Hiranyakeshi temple

This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. After your darshan, you can go to the river Hirayankehi and can catch fish or enjoy swimming there.

You can also visit the Kunkeshwar temple – dedicated to Lord Shiva, Shri Kamakshi temple, and Rameshwar temple here.

Beaches and Water Sports

Finally, the main attractions here are obviously the serene, sandy, isolated beaches bordering azure – sometimes calm sometimes the rough the Arabian Sea.

There are many

• Tarkali Beach

It is the most famous beach here. You will find that it has lesser crowds as compared to Goa beaches. The sunsets are a sight to watch and so are the dolphins that can be seen at a distance.

There is a Scuba diving center IISDA that teaches you scuba diving in school and real environment.

• Devbagh Beach

This beach is for fun, sun, sand, beach volleyball, and seashell collection. Try Snorkeling, Banana boat rides, and parasailing also during the season.

• Talshil Tondavali Beach

This is a long clean beach with no crowds but lacks public facilities, hence not good for kids. But it is peaceful and away from the hustle-bustle of the main city.

• Nivati Beach

Nivati Beach is close to a seaport and you can watch fishermen selling their wares here. Take a nice swim in the tranquil Sea waters here.

• Achra Beach

It is close to the Rameshwar temple and so you can combine both activities.

• Shiroda Beach

Numerous water sports activities here like jet skiing, parasailing, etc, you may find few visitors and foreigners on this clean beach with crystal clear waters.

The tsunami Island is very near the main fort and is the place where you can also enjoy Water sports like water scooters bumper boats etc.

Accommodation is never a problem when you visit this tourist place. There are many good economical hotels around. If you prefer to home-stays as we do, you will find many hospitable locals treating you to amazing local fare.

Konkan food is amazing. Fresh catch from the sea spiced with kokum, coconut and a special local garam masala make you ask for second and third servings of food. Prawn curry (kolambiRassa), Solkadi, Bangda Fry, Kokum Dal, and Bombli fry are some of the most famous dishes here.

Traveling is fun! Infrastructural facilities like airports, help one save time and money and help you enjoy the holiday instead of concentrating on logistics. The airport is sure a boon for travelers with good amount of Reptéri parkolás [Airport parking]. Now is the time to travel to Sindudurgh. Come, enjoy the fun!

One of my friends who is pursuing his graduation from New York University has always told me about JFK Airport which is the largest airport in the United States of America.

Ratings