Salem Airport
Salem Airport (IATA: SXV, ICAO: VOSM)) is located in Kamalapuram, 15
kilometres north-west of Salem, Tamil Nadu, India. It serves Salem city and
the districts of Salem, Dharmapuri and Krishnagiri.
Initially, NEPC Airlines operated flights on the Chennai–Salem–Coimbatore–Chennai
sector using Fokker F-27 aircraft. however, the airline withdrew the service
after three months citing ‘non-viability’ as its main reason.
The Salem Airport lay in disuse since then as no airline was willing to
invest in this sector. Although the Airports
Authority of India (AAI) had spruced up the airport and made it ready
for operation, airlines did not show interest to fly, fearing low patronage.
In 2006, Air Deccan agreed to kick start its Salem operations but suspended
the services later due to lack of response.
Salem Airport has one runway, oriented 040/220 degrees, 6000 feet long. Its
100 by 75 metre apron is capable of handling 2 ATR aircraft, while its
terminal building can cater to 100 passengers. Navigational facilities at
Salem include VHF radio, PAPI and an NDB.
The excellent conditions prevailing at Salem Airport are highly suitable for
flight training. Salem Airport is now the hotspot for establishment of
flight training and pilot training centres in southern India. Given the
state of the art infrastructure available here, it is an ideal training
airport and base for aspiring pilots. The reputed air charter operator based
in Salem (Salem Air) has started pilot training services. Salem Aviation
Services and the Salem Flying Club operate from Salem Airport. Its already a
home to two flying schools based at Salem.
The Airport is managed and controlled by AAI.
Airlines and Destinations
After a 3-year wait and prolonged negotiations, Kingfisher airlines
commenced daily flights to Chennai using its ATR aircraft on 15 November
2009. The service was withdrawn on 28 October 2011, again citing poor
patronage.
At last, flight service commenced again from Salem airport under the
Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) of the Ministry of Civil Aviation from
March, 2018 by Trujet.
Currently there are no scheduled airlines operating at Salem Airport due to
poor patronage.
folder_open Airports in Tamil Nadu