Riyadh - Dammam - Mangalore Direct Flight On the Cards

Riyadh - Dammam - Mangalore Direct Flight On the Cards
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore Mangalore, Mar 25: As announced on daijiworld.com last month, Air India Express had confirmed its plan to fly Dammam - Mangalore direct by the end of March, 2009. The plan is still on and is awaiting a green signal from the Civil Aviation department. Owing to the forthcoming general elections, the execution of the plan may be delayed by a few weeks. But there is no second thought on flying directly from Saudi Arabian soil to Mangalore, says AI Express officials.
A senior officer, who did not want to be identified told daijiworld that, after the announcement of Dammam - Mangalore flight, there had been tremendous pressure on AI Express from Coastal Karnataka based organizations in Riyadh to extend the service also to Riyadh as there are a number of potential passengers from both Coastal Karnataka and Kasardgod living there. Bowing to pressure, AI Express is now considering another option of flying Riyadh - Dammam - Mangalore. "The plan is surely on the cards, but I cannot assure you at the moment. But Riaydh bound Mangaloreans have every reason to cheer when the news is confirmed" said the AI Express official.
Meanwhile, AI Express has submitted the approval for thrice-weekly flights from Dammam - Mangalore. Due to the current situation, they might reduce the schedules to twice a week, instead of three times a week. Eventually, depending on the load, the frequency may be upgraded.
Dubai - Mangalore reduced Nine Flights per Week:
Due to certain technical difficulties, the scheduled 10 flights per week from Air India Express between Dubai - Mangalore have been reduced to 9 a week. From March 14 to April 14 the Wednesday morning flight will not be operating, but it will continue to operate after April 14, said an Air India Express official
Airport Director to Finally go ?
Due to tremendous pressure from NRI organizations, the current Airport director Vasudev Rao has been retained until completion of the new terminal. But Vasudev Rao has still not received his promotion . He has decided to move as General Manager to Coimbatore Int Airport in the coming weeks, daijiworld learnt from some reliable sources. When Daijiworld contacted the Airport director, he said that due to request from various organizations and direction from the Civil Aviation minister he had been able to delay his transfer until now.

Mangalore Airport Revenues On the Upswing

DHNS
Mangalore, Mar 8: Revenues and passenger numbers at the Mangalore airport have not only been steady, but also set for an upswing.
The airport is expected to garner a profit of Rs 8 crore in 2008-’09, only marginally less than the Rs 9-crore profit it had made in 2007-08.
“We are extremely satisfied with the profits, given the sluggish traffic and slowdown of the economy. The new integrated terminal building will be ready by May, and help improve the traffic even more,” M R Vasudeva, Airport Director, Mangalore Airport. One more international plane - the Dammam, to Saudi Arabia - will fly out from Mangalore from March 25.
The flight, which was introduced following public demand, will operate twice a week. “This will also bring in more passengers,” said Vasudeva.
Things have changed
Till 2005, Mangalore airport had made operating losses of up to Rs 2.5 crore per annum. But in 2006, after the introduction of international flights to Dubai, things have changed for the better.
Operating profits touched Rs 9 crore in 2008.
“Prior to 2005, we had handled only 3,500 aircraft movements per annum. But in 2008, we handled 12,000. Air passenger numbers have also gone up from 2.77 lakh to 7.05 lakh in the period,” Vasudeva stated.
Now, the officials want to step on the accelerator - A sum of Rs 147 crore is being spent for airport upgradation.
Two aero-bridges and seven escalators will also be in place from May.
“Once the access road from the city to the airport is built by the government, there will be no looking back,” said Vasudeva.