Airport Authority of India (AAI) Chairman V P Agarwal said though the NITB will be inaugurated on Saturday, it may take a few days to commission the operations as airline operators need some time to set up their offices and equipment. “The new terminal may be commissioned on June 1,” he said.
He said this airport may be developed as one of the major non-metro airports in India, he termed Mangalore airport as a “promising airport” with a growth rate of nine per cent registered last year. Once the new terminal is commissioned, the old terminal may be used for cargo — Dedicated cargo or Belly cargo, Agarwal said and added that the space may even be used for aviation training.
Stating that there is a need for a new Air Traffic Control (ATC) cum technical block to cater to the growing demand and plans on the anvil to construct a parallel taxiway, he said the entire project may require about Rs 100 crore.
The centrally air-conditioned NITB complex houses both domestic and international arrival and departure halls, thereby accommodating 700 passengers (500 domestic and 200 international) in an area of 18,220 sq metre.
The new terminal has also reduced the distance to Mangalore City from the existing 22 kms to 14 kms.
To a query, he said Kingfisher has approached the AAI to seek operation of flight between Mangalore and Mysore. Air India and Jet too may operate between the two cities, he said.
Mysore Airport
In Mysore, the airport at Mandakalli, modernised by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) will be inaugurated by Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa in the absence of Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel and sans any commercial flight operations, official sources said.
Sources in the government said scheduled operations on an ATR72 flight by Kingfisher, Air India and Jet are on the cards and would be finalised by the ministry of Civil Aviation after the airport is inaugurated.
Though renovation and upgradation of facilities at the airport costing Rs 60 crore were complete in all respects in September last year, the inauguration was delayed several times.
Plans to have the airport inaugurated during the Dasara festivities also came a cropper. The airport has till date (April 2009 and March 2010) handled about 150 chartered flights.
Civil aviation experts opine that the airport at Mysore has immense potential and importance, both from a tourism and industry perspective, with the City having heritage value and being included as one of the best cities to live in the country, in a recent report by the Union Ministry of Urban Development. The airport is ready to operate ATR 72 aircraft with a capacity of 65-70 passengers, having two runways of 1,740 metres and 1,350 metres length respectively. The terminal building can accommodate 200 passengers.
The Confederation of India Industry Karnataka State Council Chairman Aroon Raman said that Jet had allocated an ATR for operating the flights, expected to commence in one or two months. A CII study indicated that there would be 6,000 passengers per month from corporate sector in Mysore, excluding tourist traffic, he added.
