Salem Airport சேலம் வானூர்தி நிலையம்
IATA: SXV – ICAO: VOSM
Summary
Airport type		Public
Owner		Government of India
Operator		Airports Authority of India
Serves		Salem District
Location		Salem, India
Elevation AMSL		1008 ft / 307 m
Coordinates		11°46′55″N 078°03′52″E / 11.78194°N 78.06444°E / 11.78194; 78.06444Coordinates: 11°46′55″N 078°03′52″E / 11.78194°N 78.06444°E / 11.78194; 78.06444
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	ft	m
04/22	5,925	1,806	Asphalt
Source: DAFIF

Salem Airport (IATA: SXV, ICAO: VOSM) (Tamil: சேலம் வானூர்தி நிலையம்) is located in Kamalapuram, Salem, India.

Salem Airport is the gateway to the tourist desitination of Yercard(Shervarayan Range), Hogenakkal Waterfalls, Kiliyur Falls, Kavery peak, Tharamangalam, Mettur Dam, Poiman Karadu, Sitthar Koil(Heritage Temple), Belur, Uttamacholapuram, Kandashramam, Sugavaneshwarar temple, etc.,

The airport serves Salem city and the districts of Salem, Namakkal, Dharmapuri and parts of Erode and Krishnagiri.It provides the conectivity like Thiruvengadu, Sankari, Bhavani, Rasipuram, Attur, Mettur, etc., Salem Airport is being conected by KingFisher Airlines from Chennai. It provides the onword connection to places like Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, etc.,

The airport is situated approximately 20 minutes' drive from the city centre. The terminal has a capacity of 50 passengers arrival / 50 departure.

History

Located on a sprawling 136-acre extend donated by local traders and industrialists, the Salem airport lay in disuse since 1993 as no airline was willing to invest in this sector. The NEPC airlines started its service only to shut it down because of poor patronage.

Though 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.

But the local industry continued its efforts to make the airport operational for over a decade. In 2006, Air Deccan agreed to kickstart its Salem operations but only if the local industry deposited at least Rs 90 lakh or gave a commitment for 50% bookings. Meanwhile, Air Deccan merged with Kingfisher Airlines.

After prolonged negotiations, Kingfisher launched its services on Sunday in the presence of local DMK strongman and agriculture minister Veerapandi S Arumugham and K Mariappan, president of the Salem Productivity Council, who was instrumental in the starting the service.

After a 16-year wait, the airport at Salem in western Tamil Nadu became operational again, with Kingfisher Airlines kicking off its Chennai-Salem services on 15th Nov 2009. On the first day, the flight from Salem to Chennai was almost full barring one vacant seat. Salem Aviation Services have started their charter services here.

Travel

The Chennai-Salem flight will depart from Chennai at 2.50pm and reach Salem at 3.50pm. In the return direction, the flight will take off at 4.20pm and reach Chennai at 5.20pm. If booked seven days in advance, the fare would be Rs 2,529. For bookings within a week, the fare would range between Rs 2,859 and Rs 7,200.

The new service will help residents of Salem to fly to Delhi via Chennai. The Salem-Delhi air ticket via Chennai would cost Rs 6,700.

Airlines and destinations

Flight Training and Pilot Training Centres

The excellent conditions prevailing at Salem Airport is 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 content above was published at Airports-Worldwide.com in 2010.
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