Jindal Vijaynagar Airport

Jindal Vijaynagar Airport is an airport located in Toranagallu, a village in the Indian state of Karnataka. Because of its location near Vidyanagar Township, the airport is also known as Vidyanagar Airport. It is owned and operated by JSW Steel, which operates a steel mill in Toranagallu. The name Jindal Vijaynagar comes from the company Jindal Vijaynagar Steel Ltd (JVSL), which merged to form JSW Steel in 2005.Formerly a private landing strip for JVSL employees, the airport was upgraded to receive its first commercial flights in December 2006, serving tourism and business interests in Bellary District. Regional airline TruJet provides service from Hyderabad.HistoryJindal Vijaynagar Airport was originally a private airstrip used by Jindal Vijaynagar Steel to transport senior employees to and from its adjacent steel plant. In 2004, the State Government agreed to allow commercial flights from the airstrip. The airport is located close to the tourist attractions of Hampi, and the State Government hoped it attract businessmen to the steel industry in Bellary. Bellary Airport was not used as its runway was too short and narrow, and there was no room to expand it. Air Deccan announced it would commence flights from Bangalore on 2 October 2004; however, the route was not launched because of technical reasons.