July 17: D-day for Kuwait - Mangalore Direct Flight?

Daijiworld Media Network Dubai / Mangalore / Mumbai
Kuwait, Jun 26: Long-awaited dream of people from Coastal Karnataka and Northern Malabar region living in Kuwait, of flying direct to Mangalore airport is almost set to come true, as final preparations are on and within a week's time tickets will be available online.
Top sources of Air India Express told Rajesh Sequeira, Coordinator for Karnataka NRI forum in Dubai that Thursday July 17 has been finalized as the date for maiden Kuwait-Mangalore direct flight as of now. Authorities have presented the schedule to aviation ministry for approval. The schedule is expected to get the approval within a week's time.
Initially there will be two flights a week, on Sunday and Thursday via Muscat.
Sources also said that a brand new aircraft of AI Express arrived on Monday June 23 and the process of introducing direct flight has started after the arrival of new aircraft. Owing to smaller carrying-capacity of the aircraft, it may not be possible to fly direct Kuwait - Mangalore flight as of now. Hence flights have been scheduled to fly via Muscat for the time being.
Several NRI organizations from Kuwait have been trying for this direct flight from the last few years. Though Kuwait is one of the oldest and largest places where large numbers of Coastal Karantaka NRIs are residing, direct flight to fly home has still been a mirage. This long delay in introducing direct flight had angered large number of NRIs.
Now with the beginning of Mangalore-Kuwait sector, passengers will be relieved of their woes of travelling via Mumbai or other airports in India.
The submitted schedule for approval is as follows:
Flight No. IX 389 / IX 390
Flight will arrive from Coachin to Mangalore at 18.50hrsDeparture to Kuwait via Muscat at 19.35hrs
Departure from Kuwait to Mangalore via Muscat at 0.05hrs next dayFurther information will be updated soon on daijiworld.com

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Vijay Rai to Lead Riyadh - M'lore Direct Flight Campaign

by P A Hameed - RiyadhDaijiworld Media Network - Saudi Arabia
Riyadh, Jun 22: A long-awaited Direct Flight Campaign kicked off when a common platform representing all the Mangalorean communities, named “KARAVALI WELFARE ASSOCIATION”-Riyadh came into existence on Jun 20, Friday at 4.00 pm in Riyadh.
If at all a golden word to be written, then the pages of history of Mangaloreans in Riyadh-Saudi Arabia becomes most eligible to be on the frontline as a first common platform named “Karavali Welfare Association-Riyadh” came into existence with broad objectives of bringing all Mangalorean communities together and fight for common cause.
Different people working in different directions for a common cause will lead them to zero zone without having an expected results. So, there will be no exaggeration if we say that the dictum “Unite we stand, divide we fall” is the basis for its formation. The birth of the Association started with taking up the issue of Direct Flight from Riyadh to Mangalore. A large number of Mangalorean residents are working in various Companies and establishments in the Kingdom. Many of them usually travel by way of Mumbai International Airport to their destinations, which are situated in and around Mangalore. Most of the Companies in the Kingdom give its employees a round trip tickets only up to Mumbai as a final destination.
The Mangaloreans get worst affected due to this as their on-going journey doesn’t end at Mumbai. They have to spend out of their own pocket for their ultimate destination in Mangalore. If the dream of Direct Flight to Mangalore comes true with the cooperation of all the concerned State MLAs, MPs, Ministers and Central Ministers, Central Ministers of Karnataka State, and other Officials, then it will be very much useful and a countless problems on the way of journey will considerably be reduced. As an initial takeup, the Association gets actively involved in the campaign through various methods that is useful to get the long-pending demands done.
As Vijay Rai, who was selected as the President of the Association, stated in his speech, “We will start our initiative first with signature campaign by linking all the Mangaloreans in and around Riyadh; If all the Mangaloreans comes forward for this cause with a common goal, then we will definitely be successful in getting the demand done without much difficulty;”.
Another guest on the dais, Royston Prabhu, who is selected as General Secretary of the Association, said-“Mangalore is one of the important places in India and it is fetching a hefty income to the national income of the Country through foreign exchange and other investments; a lot of people in and around Mangalore including the residents of northern parts of Kerala like Kanhangad, Canannore in the Kingdom badly need of the direct flight from Riyadh to Mangalore; it is all our duty to endeavor for the cause and bring to the concerned about the issue and get the issue solved”.
Action plan for the coming days was provisionally done to cause the issue on hype and its goal is that it should apparently reach the Bench of Parliament, Vidhana Soudha, Ministers Chambers and Officials’ table. Though some efforts have been floated by the Mangaloreans for the Direct flight cause in the Kingdom, yet there was no any driving force behind all those actions. Jammiyathul Falah-Riyadh Unit had started its signature campaign in its last Get-together and a memorandum was handed to the Minister for External Affairs, Mr. Pranav Mukherjee, and Salman Kurshid, requesting them to kick off the direct flight to Mangalore, when they arrived in the Kingdom some two months ago. The Association is aimed at thrusting the movement in a rapid action and making the long-awaited dream to come true.
Feedback forms have been distributed to the attendees for their suggestions and all have very enthusiastically participated in it. Parvez Ali kicked off the Programme with the welcome & introduction speech in Tulu language. The hotel hall was jam-packed with the enthusiasts. Posters colored with pictures of Kambla, Daff, Harvesting were hanging on the walls of the hall that smelt of Tulunada soil in the desert sand.
Iftikar Ahmed Kana, who is one of the main campaigners for the Direct Flight Campaign, addressed the audience calling for collective efforts in this direction. Rajesh Kumar Surathkal, who is another campaigner for the cause, conducted the master of ceremony on the Program.
P.A.HameedPadubidri, Advocate and Daijiworld Saudi Arabian Correspondent, spoke on the occasion requesting all to view Daijiworld regularly for updated news from Mangalore that will definitely give extensive coverage for the cause. Most of the audience who are regularly viewing Daijiworld appreciated the work of the Website and its new coverage.
The Office-bearers of the Association is provisionally announced in the program and its Inaugural Function will probably be held on 4th July 2008. The names of the office-bearers for 2008-2009 are follows:
President: Vijay RaiVice President: Khasim AhmedGeneral Secretary: Royston PrabhuJoint Secretary: Parvez AliTreasurer: Victor MenezesInternal Auditor: vasudev AminCoordinators: Iftikar AhmedRajesh Kumar SurathkalAravinda Prabhu
Media Coordinator: Adv. P.A.HameedPadubidri

Riyadh: Mangalorean Community to Kick off 'Direct Flight' Campaign

Media Release
Riyadh, Jun 12: A large number of NRIs from the coastal and Western Ghats region of Karnataka, and North Kerala, are engaged in business or employed in Saudi Arabia. Since the commencement of the International Airport at Bajpe, it is a dream of thousands of NRIs who reside in Saudi Arabia to fly directly from Riyadh to their home town Mangalore.
Even though there is a huge population of Mangalorean expatriates living in Riyadh, it is unfortunate that there is no common platform for Mangaloreans to represent their community. With this agenda in mind it is decided to start a separate organization which will represent every community and group and collectively fulfill goals.
Mangalorean community members are planning to meet at Khayyam Restaurant – Hail Wazarat (Hara) Riyadh. Between 4pm and 6 pm on Jun 20, 2008
The primary agenda will be:
To name for the OrganizationSelect office bearersPlan for Direct Flight CampaignOther Welfare Schemes
Community members have urged all residents to rise above caste, language and creed and join hands in this campaign to make the Riyadh –Mangalore direct flight possible.

Land for parallel taxiway at Bajpe Airport notified

The Hindu
MANGALORE June 11: The Government has issued a notification for acquiring 56.46 acres of non-agriculture land at Malavoor village near Bajpe (Mangalore) Airport to build a parallel taxiway at the airport by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
The taxiway is the passage in which aircraft move from the runway to the apron (parking area).
M. Maheshwar Rao, Deputy Commissioner, issued the notification on May 20, 2008 under an emergency clause. According to this, non-agriculture lands belonging 20 persons are to be acquired for the purpose.
When contacted Sameer Shukla, Assistant Commissioner, Mangalore Sub-Division, told The Hindu that valuation of property notified will be done by the departments concerned. "We will pass the award as soon as we receive the valuation reports," he said.
"As far as I know there are no habitations in the land proposed for acquisition. Hence, acquisition will not be a problem. But it will be known only after conducting valuation of the property notified," he said. The land will be handed over to the AAI once the process is completed. The AAI will have to fill up a valley there with soil to take up works on the parallel taxiway, he said.
M.R. Vasudeva, director, Mangalore Airport, said that the parallel taxiway proposed to be built will have a length of 583 metres and a width of 38 metres. It will connect the runway with the apron (parking bay) of the new terminal building which is under construction at Kenjar near the airport.
The parallel taxiway is needed in addition to the one connecting the new terminal building.
When there is a parallel taxiway, aircraft can leave the parking bay quickly and the aircraft that lands on the runway can arrive there without delay. This will avoid waiting time of aircraft and enhance the efficiency of the airport, he said.
The number of aircraft movements at the airport went up from 6,268 in 2006-07 to 10,019 in 2007-08. The passenger movement increased from 4.71 lakh passengers to 7.13 passengers during the period, Mr. Vasudeva said