International Status to Mangalore Airport: Another Promise Broken

Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore
Mangalore, Dec 20: Exactly a month ago, on November 20, M Veerappa Moily had assured Mangaloreans of international status to Mangalore Airport. Come December 21, and yet another promise will go unfilfilled.
Mangalore Airport will be marking its diamond jubilee on Wednesday December 21. After Moily's promise, which had come in such clear terms that there was hardly any scope for doubt, Mangaloreans had been waiting eagerly for the formal announcement. Moily on his November 20 visit to the city had in fact stated that all was ready and only the announcement was pending, which was expected in a few days' time.
However, the 'days' have turned into a month, and still there is no sign of international status to the airport.
Speaking to Daijiworld, Moily explained that everything was indeed ready, and the proposal was to be tabled in the winter session of the Parliament. However, at the last moment the civil aviation minister was changed, and Ajit Singh took over the mantle from Vayalar Ravi, and hence the process was affected. Now, the proposal will be introduced in the next session of the Parliament, Moily said.
That means, Mangaloreans will have to wait for a few more months for the dream to come true, and there will be no 'diamond jubilee gift' that many were hoping for.
The airport was inaugurated on December 21, 1951 with a maiden flight carrying MP Srinivas Mallya and PM Jawaharlal Nehru. The length of the runway was about 3,000 feet, suitable for operation of smaller aircraft. The airport witnessed no improvement for 20 years, and then the existing runway was increased by 2,000 feet in 1971 and again to 5,330 feet during 1981–82. The process of laying a concrete second runway began in 1989 and was completed in 2006.
The airport saw its maiden international flight to Dubai in October 2006. Thereafter, it saw rapid changes and advancement, with a new terminal building being inaugurated in 2010.
Mangalore Airport is currently a domestic customs airport with permission to operate only a few international flights, to west Asia. The proposal to grant the status of international airport has been in limbo for quite a while now with organisations, NRI forums and local politicians making constant demands, but despite several promises, it remains a dream. With the 2010 Air India crash that took 158 lives, the prospect was badly hit as concerns were raised about its safety, and the then aviation minister Praful Patel announced a 're-look' into the proposal. However, Vayalar Ravi in October this year promised to grant the status 'soon', followed by Moily setting the December 21 as deadline.
The wait, however, is still on.

Mangalore Airport to Get International Status Before Dec 21: Moily

Pics: Spoorthi Ullal Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (PS)

Mangalore, Nov 20: "Mangalore airport will get international status before it completes its diamond jubilee next month on December 21. Everything is ready, and only the announcement is pending which shall be made in the coming days," said union corporate affairs minister Veerappa Moily.

Speaking to reporters at 'meet the press' programme here on Sunday November 20, Moily said that he was happy to announce that the airport would soon get international tag, and that he had already held discussions with civil aviation minister Vayalar Ravi in this regard.

On MSEZ, he said Rs 46,000 crore has already been invested in it, and that 80 percent of the farmers have agreed for the denotification of land for the second phase of the project. "MSEZ will generate about two lac employment opportunities, so the state government should take appropriate steps to ensure that it sails smoothly without further setbacks," he added.

On the issue of UPCL project, he said it was ready to transmit 1,500 MW of power, but there is no transmission line, and it is up to the state government to take action on this. The project will solve power problems in the region to a great extent, he said, adding that he had already spoken to the chief minister and urged him to prioritise this issue.

He further said that a sum of Rs 60 crore has been released for Dakshina Kannada district under the Rajiv Gandhi electricity project, out of the 6,000 crore released nationwide.

Speaking about the various road projects in the state, he said work on the Kundapur-Suratkal-Talapady road connectivity is going on in full swing, and that the route will have four bypass roads in places like Padubidri and others. The project will be completed soon, he assured.

About Mangalore-Hassan road widening project, he said it has been sanctioned already and on Friday November 25 a survey will be carried out in this regard.

The Shiradi Ghat ghat stretch will be repaired soon at a cost of Rs 5 crore to be released by the centre, he said, and in future, the state government will take up the work of converting it into four lanes at its own cost, which will be reimbursed by the centre.

The Teerthahalli-Agumbe-Udupi road has been planned at a cost of Rs 175 crore. The state government is expected to submit a report on this, after which the work will be initiated, he said.

On Mangalore port, he informed that a container terminal will come up which will raise its standards. Also, the harbour will be extended and steps will be taken to ensure better connectivity between road, rail and the port.

When the issue of Anti-Communal Violence Bill was raised, he said the Bill was prepared in 2005 and was scrutinised in every aspect. 'When the Constitution was formed, communal hatredness and incidents of violence we see today were not expected. But the current scenario has made the Bill a necessity. Though there is opposition from many parties apart from the BJP, their opinions will be considered. But in view of national security the bill will be passed very soon," he said.

Taking potshots at senior BJP leader L K Advani, he said his Jan Chetna Yatra was an attempt to project himself as a candidate for the PM's post. "His party in Karnataka is neck-deep in corruption and he is not able to do anything. He wants to garner mass support like Anna Hazare, but he is not a tall figure like A B Vajpayee, though the BJP thinks so," he said.

About the controversial Netravati river diversion project which has been opposed by many, he said it was not diversion but only pumping of drinking water from Ettinahole to supply it to other districts like Chikballapur and Kolar. "It is only to provide potable water to other districts, hence, the project need not be opposed," Moily said.

On the issue of inclusion of Tulu and Kodava in the 8th schedule of the Constitution, he said a committee had been formed which will submit its report soon. He expressed confidence that there would be no problems regarding the absence of script in the languages, and that their absence in currency notes would not be a hindrance for their inclusion.

To a question, he said there are intercity trains between Karnataka coast and Kerala, but none within Karnataka. He said a proposal was afoot to begin an intercity train between mangalore and karwar and other places.

When asked his opinion on Rahul Gandhi being touted as the next PM, he said Rahul's current priority is to win the elections in UP and nothing else.

The amendments to Companies Act may get cabinet approval by November 24 and will be introduced in the forthcoming winter session, he said.

To a query, he said the Lokpal Bill will be placed before the parliament in the winter session.

He expressed his displeasure at the proposal to divide Uttar Pradesh into four states and said that UP chief minister Mayawati was playing vote bank politics in view of the coming elections. "There should be national-level discusssions on it. Let the national development council decide," he added.

He assured that inflation would come down in December. "It is the crude oil and the rate of petroleum that is causing inflation. It will reduce by next month."

To another query, he said as many as 8 lac undertrials had been released across the nation between January 2010 and July 2011.

A state-level exporters' meet will be held in Mangalore in the month of January, he informed, and so also the 17th national youth convention.

‘Don’t have Misconceptions - Mangalore Airport is Safe’

Pics by Ramesh Pandith
Daijiworld Media Network

Mangalore, Oct 30, DHNS: Let no misconceptions prevail with regard to the Mangalore Airport as it is a ‘DGCA Licensed’ airport, the runway has been constructed with the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) norms inclusive of RESA (Runway End Safety Area) and it is eligible to be declared as an International Airport, said Union Minister of Corporate Affairs Dr M Veerappa Moily.

He was speaking after inaugurating the two-day workshop on ‘Table top airports and safety aspects’ organised by National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NITK) and Mangalore Airport Diamond Jubilee Celebration Committee.

The present runway is 8000 ft and 205 acres of land is provided by the state government for extension of the runway. The runway needs to be extended to 9500 ft, said Moily. The total estimated cost for the extension of runway, construction of part parallel taxiway and link taxiway is Rs 51 crores and the proposal is likely to put up to AAI board for approval, he said.

The administrative approval and expenditure sanction for construction of new control tower cum technical block at Mangalore Airport for an amount of Rs 26.57 crores has been obtained.

The new air traffic control tower is under construction and will be ready in 18 months, he said and added that there are plans to convert the old terminal building for international and domestic cargo operation.

Speaking on the aviation industry today, he said that it is growing steadily and bears a strong correlation with the overall economic growth. The industry has been accounted for approximately 1.7 per cent of world GDP with over 1.1 trillion USD in turnover. Approximately 25 per cent of the value trade in manufactured goods is being transported by air. The air freight has increased by 65 per cent in 10 years and domestic fights has grown faster that the international flights in last five years, he said.

Airports Authority of India, Southern Region, Regional Executive Director D Devaraj said that Mangalore Airport can handle Airbus 320 type of aircraft at present. AAI always pays more attention to safety. Every airport will have an annual study, surveillance study and technical study, he said.

Mangalore Airport Director M R Vasudeva said that there are several misconceptions about the airport after the crash. “There is absolutely no problem in the airport. There is no need to fear unnecessarily. All misconceptions can be dispelled,” he stressed.

NITK Director Professor Sandeep Sancheti said very few cities can boast of all modes of transport such as air, water, rail and road and Mangalore is one of them. Many of the places which house IITs have an airport as this plays an important role, he said.

NMPT Deputy Director T S N Murthy said there is a need to remove the fear of air travel. As many as 30,000 airplanes have touched the Mangalore runway, he said.

Mangalore: 'International Status for Mangalore Airport Soon' - Vayalar Ravi

Pics: Spoorthi Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)
Mangalore, Oct 3: Union civil aviation minister, Vayalar Ravi, promised to complete the formalities connected with acquiring international airport status for the local airport on top priority.
“I know that getting this status for this airport is of prime importance,” he said, in response to a memorandum handed over by former union minister, B Janardhana Poojary, listing out various demands of the people of the district in this connection.
The minister was speaking after initiating the Mangalore Dasara celebrations at Lord Gokarnanatha Temple in Kudroli here on Sunday October 2. He said that one of the demands of Janardhana Poojary is to disburse maximum possible compensation to the families affected by the air crash here last year. “Some cases are pending in the court in this respect. The government is engaged with this issue,” he explained.
Ravi hailed Brahmasri Narayana Guru for spreading the notion of equality through his, ‘single caste, single religion, single god’ principle. “The principle of oneness preached by Narayana Guru has timeless and universal value. Our country strongly believes in this concept. I used to visit Varkala Shivagiri Mutt when young. The preaching of the Guru have had a lasting impact on my life and belief systems. Like me, crores of people have been influenced by the ideals of Narayana Guru,” he said.
He also said that his dream was to bring Air India back on tracks and enable it to function efficiently and compete with private airlines.
In his address, Janardhana Poojary said that the temple, which has been witnessing additions and renovations continuously, has been treading on the path shown by Brahmasri Narayana Guru. “This is not a centre of faith alone. It is also a centre of devotion, peace, and harmonious coexistence. Vayalar Ravi, who hails from the land of Narayana Guru, is a politician with deep humanitarian values,” he said.
President of Billavar Federation, Jaya C Suvarna, managing director of Hotel Deepa Comforts, Urmila Ramesh, and president of Akhila Karnataka Vishwamarka Mahasabha, K P Nanjundi, participated as chief guests.
Temple governing council president, H S Sairam, vice-president, Raghavendra Kulur, secretary, B Madhav Suvarna, and trustees were present.
Mangalore Air Crash - Vayalar Invites Victims' Kin to Delhi for Talks
A delegation of Mangalore Air Crash Victims Families Association met union civil aviation minister, Vayalar Ravi, on Sunday October 2. Ravi was here for attending a programme at Lord Gokarnanatha Temple, Kudroli.

He invited the office bearers of the association to New Delhi to discuss issues concerning payment of justifiable compensation to families of the air crash victims. He said he has been putting in efforts towards this end, and promised to hold detailed discussions in the issue during the visit of the delegation to New Delhi.

In reply to questions, the minister said that efforts towards infusing life into Air India through a rejuvenation process are on at present. “A new chairman has already been posted to Air India. Directors will also be appointed soon,” he clarified.

Mangalore: Inaugural Mangalore-Hyderabad SpiceJet Flight Takes Off

Mangalore: Inaugural Mangalore-Hyderabad SpiceJet Flight Takes Off
Pics: Spoorthi Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (PS)
Mangalore, Sep 30: SpiceJet limited kick started flight service between Mangalore and Hyderabad with Q-400 Hyderabad-Mangalore flight landing at the Mangalore Airport at 2.40 pm on Friday September 30.
The inaugural Mangalore-Hyderabad flight took off at 3 pm. SpiceJet will be operating a daily flight on the Mangalore-Hyderabad route.
Addressing the presspersons on September 30, Raja Vaidyanathan, vice-president, commercial also announced that the direct SpiceJet flight between Mangalore-Chennai will begin from November 9. Bookings on the Mangalore-Chennai sector have just commenced with an all-inclusive limited seats inaugural fare of Rs 1499, he said.
Abhaychandra Jain, MLA,Moodbidri, Nalin Kumar Kateel, MP, Dakshina Kannada, Nagaraj Shetty, former president, Coastal Development Authority, Lata Kini, president, Canara Chamber of Commerce, V Raja, VP commercial, SpiceJet, M Shashi Kanth CASO and M R Vasudeva, Airport director witnessed the launch of the inaugural flight to Hyderabad.
The Q-400 NextGen turboprop aircraft from Bombardier can accommodate 78 passengers and is widely accepted as the best short-haul plane globally. SpiceJet had placed an order for 30 of these aircraft and have already taken delivery of the first five aircraft during September.
Samyukth Sridharan, chief commercial officer, SpiceJet Ltd was present

Rs 80 Cr Proposal to Develop Mangalore Airport

'Rs 80 Cr Proposal to Develop Mangalore Airport'
Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore
Mangalore, Aug 22 (DHNS): India would require $120 billion for aircraft and aviation infrastructure to meet passenger traffic which is expected to touch 240-260 million per annum by 2020, said AAI Regional Executive Director (Southern) D Devaraj after inaugurating a national conference on ‘Indian aviation and tourism: Opportunities, challenges and new directions’ organised by Mangalore Airport Diamond Jubilee Celebration Committee and Mangalore University on Sunday.

Airport sector requires a total of $20 billion investment over the next decade, in addition to the $10 billion already committed in the last 5 years. It is predicted by 2020, domestic traffic will reach 300 million passengers per annum and international traffic will exceed 100 million, he said.
Speaking on planned works for Mangalore Airport, he said that the runway is 8,100 ft at present and it requires extension up to 10000 ft to get huge aircraft to land and hence get the international status.
The parallel taxi track will also come up and Rs 80 crore proposal has been submitted, Provision of cargo terminal will be made in the old airport and the domestic cargo transport may kick off by December but the international cargo transport may take some time as discussions on custom duty is taking place. ATC tower automation is planned, he said and added that political decisions also matter on the implementation of works.
He informed that WTC reveals that by 2020, tourism in India could contribute Rs 8,50,000 crores to the GDP. The Indian tourism sector is expected to generate $42.8 billion by 2017, a 42 per cent surge from 2007, he said and added that 97 per cent of the country’s foreign tourists arrive by air.
Airports Authority of India managed 139 airports in which 17 are international, 8 are custom, 81 are domestic, 25 are civil enclaves and 8 CNS/ATM.
As much as 2.8 million sq NM is the airspace managed by AAI. There has been an increase of 0.6 per cent in the number of aircraft movement and 14 per cent increase in the passengers and 21.1 per cent in the cargo handled in tons, he said. Indian Overseas Bank Chairman N Narendra stressed on tapping tourism potential in the district.
Mangalore being an educational hub and land of historic importance with many temples can attract tourists. Medical tourism is also on high with the medical facilities available here, he said and spoke on the importance of a long term vision for Mangalore’s development.
KCCI President Latha Kini submitted a memorandum to D Devaraj asking for international airport status, air cargo complex by October and nomenclature of Mangalore airport to be changed to U Srinivas Mallya airport.
Karnataka Bank Chairman Ananthakrishna said Mangalore has several unique selling points and it needs to be marketed well. Be it Udupi Idli, Brinjal, jasmine and pappads made of jackfruit, one cannot find these things anywhere else and even these can USPs, he said. He also requested that as business class travelers pay a lot on their ticket, special quick security arrangements should be made for them.
Mangalore airport had 2.5 lakh air travelers in 2001 and today it has risen to 8.5 lakhs. The airport has made a profit of 10 crores, said Mangalore Airport Director M R Vasudeva.MLA Abhayachandra Jain presided over the programme.

Dubai: Destination Mangalore for IndiGo Airlines Soon

Mr Aditya Ghosh President Indigo Airlines

Daijiworld Media Network - Dubai
Dubai, Jul 26 : While a few private airlines' promises to connect Mangalore internationally
remain promises only, IndiGo, one of India's most reliable budget airlines which announced the launch of its international flights from September 1, has now assured to consider Dubai-Mangalore flights in the coming days.
Speaking to Rajesh Sequeira, founder and co-ordinator of Karnataka NRI Forum of UAE, Aditya Ghosh, president of IndiGO assured that Dubai-Mangalore IndGo flights are on the anvil, but it is too early to give the exact picture now. IndiGo considers Mangalore as one of the key destinations, he said.
Earlier this year, Jet Airways had reportedly planned Sharjah-Mangalore direct flight, and was supposed to begin operations from May 2011. The exact reason for the delay in operations is not known.

The change in aviation ministry head from Praful Patel to Vayalar Ravi has made a difference in introducing new flights to Mangalore, it is reliably learnt.

IndiGo is India's second largest airline with a market share of 19.9% in May 2011, as well as the country's largest low fare carrier. IndiGo is the fastest growing low cost carrier in the world (source: CAPA). IndiGo has a simple philosophy: offer fares that are always low, flights that are on time, and a courteous, hassle-free travel experience. IndiGo’s On-Time Performance is one of the best in India. IndiGo’s Technical Dispatch Reliability is 99.91% making it the airline with the least number of cancellations in India. With its fleet of 42 new Airbus A320 aircraft, the airline offers 259 daily flights connecting 26 destinations - Agartala, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhubaneshwar, Coimbatore, Chennai, Delhi, Dibrugarh, Goa, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Imphal, Indore, Jaipur, Jammu, Kochi, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Nagpur, Patna, Pune, Raipur, Srinagar, Trivandrum and Vadodara.
IndiGo is led by its president, Aditya Ghosh and is promoted by InterGlobe Enterprises and Rakesh Gangwal, an aviation industry veteran and entrepreneur. InterGlobe Enterprises has been a committed player in the travel and aviation industry for the last 20 years. InterGlobe Enterprises is a leading travel conglomerate in India and enjoys a wide-ranging presence in the fields of airline and aviation management, travel related services, travel technology, travel distribution services and hotel development and management services. Its aviation management experience includes representation of 13 leading international airlines and offers services ranging from sales and marketing to revenue and route management. It also offers distribution, technology and BPO services for the travel and aviation industries.
IndiGO airline will operate daily direct flight services between Dubai-Delhi and Delhi-Dubai at an affordable return fare of 816 AED or INR 9999 (all inclusive). The first 6E 22 flight from Dubai will fly out from the Dubai International Airport to New Delhi, with convenient and hassle-free flying options.
Both corporate and leisure travellers will now have the opportunity to experience the matchless on-time performance that IndiGo is synonymous with in the Indian skies. Effective October 2, the airline will also connect Dubai with Mumbai. Flights would operate to and from terminal-1D at New Delhi.
IndiGo also announced the launch of Bangkok and Singapore as the other international destinations connecting from Delhi and Mumbai, which will be connected on IndiGo network effective September. Flights to Kathmandu and Muscat will also be announced soon. The carrier's expansion in the international skies will further consolidate its position as the fastest growing low cost carrier in the world.
International flight schedules and promotional fares for the new routes are*:
Flt No Sector Dep Arr Start Date Days Promo RT Fare
6E-022 DXBDEL 22:15 3:10 +1 01-Sep-11 1234567 AED 816
6E-021 DELDXB 17:15 19:25 01-Sep-11 1234567 AED 816
6E-062 DXBBOM 20:25 1:10 + 1 02-Oct-11 1234567 AED 816
6E-061 BOMDXB 18:15 20:25 02-Oct-11 1234567 AED 816

Mangalore: Volvo Bus Service to Airport Begins Amid Protests from Taxi Assn

Mangalore: Volvo Bus Service to Bajpe Airport Begins
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (VA)
Mangalore, Jul 16: The KSRTC Volvo bus service has been started to city airport at Bajpe here on Friday July 15.

The bus will commence from KSRTC stop to airport at 7.05 am, 10.05 am, 1.05 pm and 4.20 pm. From the airport the bus will start towards KSRTC at 8 am, 11 am, 2.15 pm and 5.15 pm. As of now these four trips have been planned.
The bus will travel via Bejai, KPT, Bondel, Kavoor, Marakada routes and reach the airport and come through the same way from airport to KSRTC bus stop.

The AC bus had 43 seats in it. The KSRTC might extend the bus facility upto city railway station and state bank in future, according to sources.

Taxi Association ObjectsThe members of Tourist Taxi Association have protested against the new facility as it would be of loss to them. “First of all we get very few commuters but with this move we would be under huge loss as it was the only source of income for us”, they lamented. They urged that they busses shouldn’t be parked in the flyover near airport.
The airport director A R Vasudev and police officials somehow managed to convince the taxi drivers.

Mangalore: Volvo Bus Service to City Airport by July 15 - MP Kateel

Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (SB/DL)
Mangalore, June 8: Volvo bus service to the airport in Kenjar will begin by July 15, said MP Nalin Kumar Kateel.
He announced the decision while presiding over the Mangalore Airport Maintenance Co-ordination Meet after due discussions therein. There were elaborate discussions on development of basic infrastructure at the airport, land required for the extension of runway from the current 8,000 ft to 9,500 ft, setting up of police outpost, installation of streetlights for the safety of passengers and other steps that will help airport gain international status.
Nalin said that 150 acres of land had been earmarked for the runway extension and an estimated Rs 36 crore would be required for the acquisition of the same. The estimated cost does not include rehabilitation of the displaced, he clarified. The meeting also discussed the need to write a letter to the authorities of the department concerned with the provision of basic facilities to construct a proper road towards the airport.
It was also decided that the Mangalore City Corporation would supply water and undertake waste management as per the request made by Airport Authority of India director, M R Vasudev. The deputy commissioner gave instructions in this regard to the officials of the department concerned.
The meet further discussed transportation and maintenance of cargo through the old airport at Bajpe.
Additional deputy commissioner Prabhakar Sharma, superintendent engineer Balakrishna, assistant commissioner Prabhulinga Kavalikatti, KSRTC Mangalore divisional controller PB Karumbaiah, regional transport officer M N Banavalli and tahsildar Rravinchandra Nayak among others were present.

Yeddyurappa in City: Cong Activists Besiege CM's Vehicle, Leaders Arrested

Pics: Savitha B R
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (PS)

Rs 23 crore for Mangalore airport

He then addressed a press meet wherein he announced that the government has released Rs 15 crore for the extension of the airport runway, apart from Rs 8 crore for the overall development of the airport. He also said that the district jail will be soon shifted to the city outskirts.

On illegal mining in the state, he said that because of his decisions, more than 90 percent of illegal mining has stopped.

Lambasting the opposition, he said that the government is in possession of documents pertaining to Deve Gowda's corruption and will soon bring it before the public. He pointed out that by refusing to go with the government's decision to convene assembly session, the opposition parties have proved that they are anti-democratic.

He also took a dig at governor Bhardwaj, asking how could a governor who is an expert at Constitution and law behave in an anti-Constitutional manner. The governor has committed a serious offence and has brought bad name to his post, he said. He expressed confidence that as his party has absolute majority, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and home minister Chidambaram would not take any unfavourable decision and would not dissolve the government. He also mocked Janardhan Poojary saying, "He had vowed to quit if BJP were to win all three seats, where is he now and why is not commenting?"He advised Congress to introspect as well as restrospect over all that has happened in the recent times. People are fed up and will not tolerate such opposition parties anymore, he said.

Best Fire Station Trophy for Mangalore Airport

Best Fire Station Trophy for Mangalore Airport Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP) Mangalore, Apr 19: The local airport has won the ‘Best Fire Station Trophy’ in southern zone. This award is being given, based on the drill, preparedness of the personnel and their management, machinery and equipments, level of discipline, safety, standard of safety vehicles, and basic amenities being provided to the fire station personnel, said director of the airport, M R Vasudeva.In the meanwhile, discordant notes have been heard about the award announced for these fire personnel, who toiled hard for several hours during the tragic air crash that occurred at the airport here on May 22, 2010. These fire personnel, it is learnt, have received commendation letters, which can be shown at the treasury for drawing Rs 100 (Rupees One Hundred only) sanctioned to them as reward for their sincere work during the said air crash. It is gathered that the policemen who discharged their duties during the said crisis have been sanctioned between Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,000.

Come December, Mangalore Airport to Go International, Assures Moily

Pics: Savitha B RDaijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (PS/SB)
Mangalore, Mar 13: Union law minister M Veerappa Moily on Sunday March 13 said that the long pending demand of internationalizing of Mangalore Airport is a genuine one and assured to make efforts for the realization of the same in coincidence with the valedictory celebration of Diamond Jubilee of Mangalore Airport on December 21.
Thus minister made apt use of the podium to immediately act upon the memorandum submitted by the Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry president G G Mohandas Prabhu on behalf of the citizens. Stressing on the facilities and prior preparations to consider any airport as an international one, he said that with the support of state government he will putforth the demands mentioned in the memorandum in front of the cabinet. Calling Mangalore Airport, a precious one, which has 50% of international passenger traffic, he said the participation from all segments including citizen will realize the long-standing dream.
Minister was speaking after inaugurating the diamond jubilee celebrations of Mangalore Airport at the St Aloysius College High School auditorium on behalf of Vayalar Ravi, union minister for overseas Indian affairs & civil aviation, who could not make it to the function due to emergency meeting.
The memorandum included the demands stressing declaration of Mangalore airport as an international airport, increasing the length of the runway, provision of a parallel taxiway to facilitate taxis/free flow of passengers (taxiway Apron), for installation of precision approach lighting system and naming of the airport as “U S Mallya International Airport, Mangalore” among others.
M R Vasudeva, director of Mangalore Airport said that earlier Mangalore Airport which had Rs 4 crore revenue and rupees six and half crore expenditure, now earns revenue up to Rs 36 crore with limiting expenditure to Rs 30 crore. He wholeheartedly congratulated the people for arranging the diamond jubilee celebration.
Deputy speaker N Yogish Bhat said the yearlong celebration should realize objectives and not be reduced mere symbolic one. The proposal for the land acquisition, to facilitate extension of runway, has been budgeted at Rs 15 crore and will be realized on public-private partnership basis within December, he said.
Pascal Pinto, NRI Forum, Kuwait also handed over the memorandum to Veerappa Moily on the occasion.
MP Nalin Kumar Kateel anmd MLA Ramanath Rai among others were present.

Runway Extension Mandatory to vie with Neighbour Airports: M R Vasudeva

Savitha B RDaijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (PS) Mangalore,

Feb 16: M R Vasudeva, director of Mangalore Airport at a ‘Meet the Press’ programme held at Press Club here on Tuesday February 15 briefed about the initial days of Mangalore Airport, and said that airport started its operation with one wireless system, one control tower, and a communication navigation system for guidance now is a full-fledged modernized airport. Pointing out the merits of Mangalore airport, Vasudeva said that the airport is one of the 35 non metro airports in India, and handled 8.5 lac passengers this year.
Further speaking he said that airport is the asset of people of Mangalore, surely the airport will see developmental projects in near future though runway extension work which was commenced in 2006 has seen a quite long delay. He said that the airport authority alone can not celebrate its birthday of its own, but incase KCCI and other representative bodies come forward it can be celebrated in a grand manner. It can be a local level celebration and not as national attention grabbing since there are many such airports celebrating their anniversaries across the country, he reasoned. Stating about the future plans, Vasudeva said that Mangalore airport’s development is interlinked with other infrastructure development such as industries, buildings, high class hotels, good road among others. Rs. 207 crore has been invested for the development of the airport, so far and the government has sanctioned Rs. 22 crore for land acquisition purposes. Runway extension is mandatory to vie with neighbor airports, he stressed. Guruvappa T Balepuni, the general secretary of Dakshina Kannada District Working Journalists’ Association was present on the occasion.

It is Celebration Time for Mangalore Airport

It is Celebration Time for Mangalore Airport
by Florine Roche
Feb 15, 2011
60 years ago on December 21, 1951 with the arrival of Pt Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first Prime Minister, in Mangalore, the Bajpe Aerodrome, which has now graduated to become Mangalore International Airport, was commissioned. The airport has come a long way since then and is now celebrating its diamond jubilee this year, which is no doubt a moment of great pride for all Mangaloreans. The airport has been instrumental in facilitating the economic development of this port city. The airport which has been operating international flights from 2006 onwards has been awaiting the tag of international airport status, which may take some more time to get materialized.
The length of the second runway at Mangalore airport is 8038 feet whereas the availability of a 9000 feet runway is a pre-requisite to upgrade the status of the airport. After inaugurating the new terminal Praful Patel had announced extension of the runway and after the gruesome air crash tragedy of May last year, it was reassured that the runway would be extended and it would also take into account the required spillover area in case of emergency. The paper work in this regard is under process. Another distinctive feature of Mangalore airport is that it is one among the three airports in the country to have table top runways, the other two being Kozhikode and Lengpui in Aizwal, Mizoram. The table top feature of the airport had come in for severe criticism after the air crash tragedy of last year.
Major Milestone
60 years is indubitably a major landmark in the chequered history of this airport and Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), which played a prominent role in the establishment of the airport has chalked out a series of year long programmes to mark the diamond jubilee celebrations, aimed at the development of the district. The inaugural function of the celebration was supposed to be held on February 4, 2011, to be attended by then Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel. However, with Vyalar Ravi becoming the new Civil Aviation Minister, it proved to be a non-starter. KCCI has now invited the new minister Vyalar Ravi and if everything goes well the celebrations will take off on February 27, 2011. Considering the Union budget on 28th February, one has to keep the fingers crossed on whether the minister would make it on that day. But KCCI is bent upon inviting the minister to kick start the celebrations on any convenient day.
KCCI expects the active involvement of local industrialists, traders and leaders in the hospitality and tourism sectors to give a impetus to developmental activities here. The KCCI once again coming forward to play a stellar role certainly augurs well for Mangalore International Airport, which faced lot of flak and criticism following the gruesome air crash in May last year.
Airport Director M R Vasudeva, the man who strived to bring Mangalore Airport to the present status, speaking to daijiworld said “though Airport Authority of India is not chalking out any programmes to mark the diamond jubilee celebrations, we would certainly join hands with KCCI and the citizens of Mangalore by participating in the various programmes they have planned to mark this event”.
60 years back war hero and retired Wing Commander Vonthibettu Prabhakar Hegde flew Jawaharlal Nehru on his first ever flight to Mangalore Airport, then known as Bajpe Aerodrome. There was no runway when the first aircraft landed at Bajpe as digging and leveling of the hell to build the runway was in progress. Nevertheless, Nehru’s landing on DC-3(Dakota) at Bajpe itself is considered as the commissioning of the airport. Dakota aircrafts are small with a seating capacity of below 40 and till 1983 only smaller aircrafts like Dacota could be landed in Mangalore.
In 1983 a runway (5330 feet) was set up and this enabled the landing of Boeing 737-sized aircrafts, having a seating capacity of about 110 people. The status quo continued till 2006 when the new runway of 8,039 feet was opened and the Bajpe airport was declared as Customs Airport, which paved the way for operating flights to international destinations from the airport. Mangalore became the first airport in Karnataka to have a concrete runway and also to have two runways. On 3 October 2006, Air India Express flight 802 from Dubai became the first international flight to land at Mangalore Airport.
Several Hurdles
Though AAI had asked the Karnataka Government in 1989 itself to acquire necessary land for the expansion of the airport, it was only in 2003 the land was acquired and given to Mangalore Airport authorities. A compensation of about 22 crores was spent for land acquisition and rehabilitation of the displaced persons. Only after the land acquisition was done the work of the new runway and the NITB took off at a lightening speed.
The concrete runway was completed within a record time of two years and once the runway became operational top priority was given for establishing the new integrated terminal building, at Kenjar, where the NITB is now located. As a result the distance to the airport from Mangalore is reduced by about 6 kms making it convenient for people to travel to the airport. With Mangalore Airport opening its doors to international flights, the New Integrated Terminal Building (NITB) became a necessity and work was started on accomplishing it on a war footing. The NITB built over 70 acres of land has a capacity to accommodate four A310 class and a A321 class aircraft at a time with provisions to three more aircrafts to be added if required.
After facing several hiccups, the NITB constructed at a cost of Rs.148 crores, was inaugurated on May 15, 2010 and was thrown open for air traffic in July 2010. NITB is built on modular concept where future expansion, if needed is possible. There are about 35 airports in India built on this concept and Mangalore is one among them. It became fully operational from August 2010 and the services were completely shifted from the old airport at Bajpe to the NITB. The new terminal provides a comfortable and convenient ambience to both the passengers and visitors and more spare for airlines, their staff and better facilities and space for passengers at the lounge and the lobby. With the NITB becoming a reality a major hurdle was overcome in upgrading the status of the airport. The opening of the new terminal building was a dream come true for the people of coastal districts and the neighboring state Kerala.
Increased Passenger Traffic
M R Vasudeva says at present Mangalore International Airport is handling 32 flight movements a day and 42 international flights per week. The passenger traffic has rose from 2.77 lakh in 2005 to 8.5 lakhs for the year 2010 and going by the current trend it is going to be even more in the coming years. About 1000 passengers can be handled at a time at the NITB. The initial shortcomings were overcome and it is now equipped with two aerobridges and has provision for adding one more in the future. It is designed to separately handle domestic and international passengers.
But the airport has to quicken the second and third phase of development and also expansion of the runway that include installation of an arrester system and creating the mandatory buffer zone at the end of the runway is undertaken in a phased manner. Extending the runway by 1000 feet is yet to start as it involves acquiring another 50 acres of land and an expenditure of about Rs. 200 crores, says Vasudeva. “Extending the runway necessitates filling up the valley which is 45 meter deep. Filling 1 sq meter of the gorge requires Rs. 200 which is quite a lot of money. If the enlightened citizens of the costal districts come up with necessary finance the work can be undertaken immediately. We have instances of local citizens shouldering such responsibility in Cochin, Calicut and Cannannore airports. KCCI, which is the voice of the people has come forward with some proposal and we are ready to extend all possible help”, Vasudeva states.
Vasudeva says that at the moment Mangalore does not have that kind of air traffic to have Jumbo aircrafts, which might become necessary when SEZ becomes a reality and the city braces up for new economic growth and industrial development.
It is believed that the old terminal at Bajpe will be handed over to the Coast Guard for handling cargo. The Kanara Chamber has now taken up the mantle of giving a new impetus to the growth of the coastal districts and in its scheme of things according international status to Mangalore airport is on top of the agenda. Chamber President G G Mohandas Prabhu had said that there is scope for handling cargoes such as vegetables, fruits, processed food and other items from Mangalore and the space at the old airport is convenient for this purpose. KCCI is directing its efforts in maximizing the connectivity advantage enjoyed by Mangalore to boost developmental activity in this area.
KCCI’s Four Demands
KCCI President Mohandas Prabhu says that the chamber will place four demands when the Civil Aviation Minister is going to come for the inauguration of the diamond jubilee celebrations. “Our demands include extension of the runway by 3000 feet, the tag of international status to Mangalore airport, the airport to be named after Ullal Srinivasa Mallya and also the setting up of the Air Cargo Complex. We have also planned many event spread over the year to mark the diamond jubilee celebrations of the airport. We have chalked out a series of programmes aimed at improving the infrastructure facilities keeping in mind the all round development of the coastal districts”, Mohandas Prabhu asserts.
Mangalore international airport is certainly raring to go if the Civil Aviation Ministry accedes to these demands of KCCI, which are . But considering the financial stakes involved and with AAI having precedence of local partnership in the development of the airports, it should not be a difficult task to comply with these demands.
In the meantime the work of the second and 3rd phase at the NITB needs to be undertaken with full gusto. While the airport in toto looks swanky and in tune with the international status, some attention needs to be given for keeping the surrounding area clean. The area behind the airport canteen is littered with all sorts of plastic and other waste which presents a very bad picture of the place. Let us hop the concerned authorities take due note of this.
With the bad memories of the worst plan tragedy behind it, the airport needs to give priority for safety measures. It is believed that Mangalore would come under the centralized radar operation system would be effected within 8 to 10 months. Even Bangalore international airport does not have Area Control services, which Mangalore has because of Mangalore’s geographical strategic location. Among the 11 centres in India Mangalore airport is one which provides area control service to the aircrafts overflying Mangalore Airport (DVOR).
The Mangalore Airport has provided enough stimulus to the growth of this region. Let us hope the Airport in its new avatar is going to strive for greater role in the economic growth of this area in the future too.

Jet Airways to Connect Sharjah - Mangalore Soon

Mumbai, Jan 30 (PTI) : Bolstered by high passenger volumes on its Gulf network, private carrier Jet Airways is looking at enhancing connectivity to the lucrative region from the coming summer, an airline source said.
"Encouraged by the increasing traffic on the Gulf routes, we are mulling to launch some new sectors in ournetwork," a Jet Airways source told PTI on condition ofanonymity.
The airline plans to add one flight on Mumbai-Dubai route, he said, adding services to Sharjah from Mangalore and Thiruvananthapuram are also being worked out. "We plan to introduce these services from the coming summer season."
Jet Airways currently operates two daily flights from Mumbai and one each from Delhi and Hyderabad to Dubai.
The proposed flights are expected be serviced by theBoeing 737-800 aircraft, he added.
Jet Airways, which currently has a fleet of 93aircraft, plans to add 49 more planes in the next five yearsto expand its domestic and international network.
Coming out of the global meltdown, when passenger airtraffic fell significantly and airlines reduced capacity, the domestic air traffic clocked a 16 per cent growth in 2010.
According to industry estimates, the passenger trafficis expected to touch 60-million mark this year as against 45million in 2009.
Recently, Jet Airways Chairman Naresh Goyal said he was expecting a 15 per cent rise in the domestic and another 15-20 per cent in the international passenger traffic.

Diamond Jubilee Celebrations of Mangalore Airport from Feb 4

Media Release
Mangalore, Jan 18: It's celebration time for Mangalore Airport as it enters the 60th year of its existence, and to mark the milestone, Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) has planned a number of events and schemes for the airport's development.
The Airport entered into its diamond jubilee year on December 21, 2010. KCCI, which had a significant role to play in the establishment of the Airport, will host several programmes throughout the year for its development and to benefit the stakeholders of the Airport.
File Pic
The inaugural ceremony of the diamond jubilee celebration will be held on Friday, February 4 from 4 pm to 6 pm at T V Raman Pai Convention Centre here. Praful Patel, union minister for civil aviation, Dr M Veerappa Moily, union minister for law and justice and B S Yeddyurappa, chief minister and MPs, MLCs and MLAs of this region have been invited to grace the occasion.
The captains of trade and industry, particularly from the tourism and hospitality segments will also attend the programme. Those who wish to participate may contact KCCI office for further details.