Mangalore: Night Landing Facilities Getting ready at Mangalore Airport

M. Raghuram for The Hindu Daily
The Union Civil Aviation Ministry, which is examining the possibility of introducing a network of "chartered flights" in the country, is likely to feature Mangalore on the network.
According to sources in the Airports Authority of India here, Mangalore airport will have enough facilities for chartered flights to land. The airport will have night landing facilities after expansion. This is expected to boost the traffic of national and international chartered flights in Mangalore and the west coast.
At present, only Mumbai, Ahemdabad, Baroda, Goa and Kochi on the west coast get chartered flights. But if Mangalore becomes a chartered flights destination, then the entire west coast will get connected and tourism will get a boost, he said.
Major chartered flight operators in the country and Agents of international chartered flights in India have identified Mangalore as one of the destinations for their operations. The city has potential for global religious visitors.
But all that may have to wait till the airport project, which is progressing at a snail's pace despite the interest shown by the officials of the AAI, is completed. The sources say the 2.45-km runway with additional safety features is one of the best runways in the country and is the first concrete runway among thel 132 airports.
According to sources, the Customs and Immigration facilities should be ready for the airport to start receiving chartered flights.