'Acquire land for airport runway expansion'

Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel urged the state government to acquire 84 acres of land which was needed for Mangaluru International Airport’s (MIA) runway expansion project.

“Once the land is handed over to the airport, work on the runway expansion will be taken up,” he said while addressing the gathering at a programme to lay the foundation for a terminal building expansion at the Airport on Friday.

He said there was a need to provide connectivity to the airport from Kenjar Railway Station and upgrade the existing road leading to the airport into a two-lane road.

The demand for introducing flight services to Pune and Goa, additional flights to Bengaluru and New Delhi will be fulfilled shortly by the Civil Aviation Ministry.

“Even though there is an International Airport at Kannur, passengers from Kanhangad (Kerala) prefer Mangaluru Airport due to its proximity,” he said.

Governor Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala laid the foundation for the terminal building expansion project and inaugurated the passenger boarding bridges and advanced visual docking guidance system.

Vala said the expansion of the terminal building at Mangaluru Airport would facilitate and improve business in the region, which in turn will benefit the common man and the middle class.

The promotion of trade will also help in the comprehensive development of the district.

Calling Mangaluru a valuable city, Governor said Mangaluru tops in cleanliness and Mangaluru Airport has been ranked for its quality.

Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy in his message (read in his absence) said, “The expansion plan will boost the connectivity and support the state in tapping the economic potential of the entire coastal belt.”

The existing integrated terminal building with an area of 19,500 square metres is capable of handling 730 peak hour passengers at any given time. Airports Authority of India (AAI) is expanding the international arrival area terminal building.

The salient features include visa on arrival facility, a state-of-the-art additional area of 11,343 square metres at the international terminal. Two additional baggage conveyors at the international arrival and one more at domestic arrival, and two additional passenger boarding bridges.

New arrival hall at the lower level, city side tensile fabric canopy, travelators, escalators, and elevators will be included in the expanded terminal building.

Snack bar, travel requisite, ATM/Money exchange, meet and greet area, and first aid room will be additional features. With the expansion of the terminal building, the annual passenger handling capacity will be increased from 2 million passengers per annum to three million. The per hour handling capacity will be increased from 730 to 1,000 passengers.

The project is expected to cost Rs 132.24 crores and would be completed by April 2020.