Mangalore:Second runway at Mangalore airport ready

Our Bureau-Business Line

As a precursor to the formal commissioning of the second runway at Mangalore airport, three aircraft landed at the 2,450-metre-long new runway on Wednesday. The new runway is yet to be commissioned formally.

Bangalore-Mangalore-Bangalore flight of Jet Airways landed at the new runway at 10.05 a.m. on Wednesday. Alliance Air and Kingfisher Airlines flights from Mumbai also landed at the new runway later in the day.

Mr M.R. Vasudeva, Airport Director, told Business Line that the new runway at the airport was put into use on Wednesday under the visual flight rule (VFR).

Handle bigger aircraft
Built at a cost of Rs 45 crore, the new concrete runway can handle bigger aircraft such as Airbus 320.

Since an air traffic control tower (ATC) is yet to be built near the new runway, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has introduced a mobile ATC tower near the new runway. The tower was earlier used in Bhuj to provide services to aircraft involved in the relief operations after the earthquake in that region. The mobile ATC tower will provide services till a new tower is built near the second runway.

Meanwhile, sources in the airport said that the Commissioning Committee of the AAI would visit the airport by the end of this month.

NRI FORUM'S PLEA
The Karnataka NRI Forum has urged Air India Express to schedule flight timings that are convenient for people in the region. Air India Express is planning to operate a flight to Dubai from Mangalore.

In a letter to Air India Express -- copies of which were released to the press here on Thursday -- the Forum requested the airliner to schedule the flight timing from Mangalore either between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. or between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. These timings will be convenient for passengers from neighbouring places.

Stating that monsoon is round the corner, it requested the airliner to operate its inaugural flight on May 28. The letter said that customs and immigration facilities would be available at the airport from May 21.