Mungantiwar pushes Centre for Chandrapur-Pune-Mumbai-Delhi flights from Morwa airport

MLA Sudhir Mungantiwar has urged Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu in New Delhi to include Chandrapur district's Morwa airport under the central government's UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) scheme and start regular passenger flights from Chandrapur to Pune, Mumbai and Delhi. The Union minister assured that positive steps would be taken to start regular air service for Chandrapur, considering the expansion of Morwa airport and other requirements involved. The Centre has responded positively to the demand for air connectivity for Chandrapur.

Chandrapur is known as an industrially and mineral-rich district of Vidarbha. The district has large coal and other mineral resources, and is home to major industrial and power projects such as a cement industry, Ballarpur Paper Mill, Chandrapur Super Thermal Power Station, Dhariwal, GMR and Wardha Power. Chandrapur has also become a major attraction for domestic and foreign tourists because of the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve. Mungantiwar told the Union minister that Chandrapur needs direct air connectivity given the growing scale of industry, trade, tourism, education and administrative work.

With no regular flight service currently available from Chandrapur, students, entrepreneurs, businesspeople, government officials and staff, and ordinary citizens have to depend on Nagpur or other cities for air travel, which costs them more time and money. Starting a direct flight service from Chandrapur would remove this difficulty and could also boost industry, trade, tourism, education and employment opportunities in the district.

Morwa airport, located about 9 kilometres from Chandrapur city, could be key to this. The airport, spread over about 62 acres, currently has a runway about 1 kilometre long. Extending the runway to meet the required technical standards could make regular passenger flight service possible. The memorandum submitted also noted that forest department land lies to the south-east and west of the airport, while private land lies to the north. Mungantiwar also demanded a review of technical difficulties caused by tall boilers at the Chandrapur Super Thermal Power Station in light of modern aviation technology, and said a technical study was needed to find a workable solution.

If Morwa airport is included in the UDAN scheme, Chandrapur could be connected to major cities across the country by regional air routes. Mungantiwar specifically demanded regular service on the Chandrapur-Pune, Chandrapur-Mumbai and Chandrapur-Delhi routes. Such connectivity would help Chandrapur's industries reach markets, connect students to educational centres, and make travel easier for domestic and foreign tourists visiting Tadoba.

Mungantiwar has consistently pursued the issue of Morwa airport in the past as well. His office had followed up with the central government on this matter on 15 October 2025, 15 December 2025 and 27 March 2026. Following this, Mungantiwar again met Union minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu in New Delhi and submitted a memorandum. Taking note of Mungantiwar's insistent demand, the Union minister assured that necessary action would be taken regarding Morwa airport and that steps would be taken towards starting regular air service for Chandrapur.