Mangalore Airport

International Status to Mangalore Airport: Another Promise Broken

2011-12-20T00:50:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-20T04:09:00.001-08:00

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

Mangalore, Nov 20: "Mangalore airport will getinternational status before it completes its diamond jubilee next month onDecember 21. Everything is ready, and only the announcement is pending whichshall be made in the coming days," said union corporate affairs ministerVeerappa Moily.

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

On MSEZ, he said Rs 46,000 crore has already been investedin it, and that 80 percent of the farmers have agreed for the denotification ofland for the second phase of the project. "MSEZ will generate about twolac employment opportunities, so the state government should take appropriatesteps to ensure that it sails smoothly without further setbacks," headded.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

On the issue of inclusion of Tulu and Kodava in the 8thschedule of the Constitution, he said a committee had been formed which willsubmit its report soon. He expressed confidence that there would be no problemsregarding the absence of script in the languages, and that their absence incurrency notes would not be a hindrance for their inclusion.

To a question, he said there are intercity trains betweenKarnataka coast and Kerala, but none within Karnataka. He said a proposal wasafoot to begin an intercity train between mangalore and karwar and otherplaces.

When asked his opinion on Rahul Gandhi being touted as thenext PM, he said Rahul's current priority is to win the elections in UP andnothing else.

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

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

He expressed his displeasure at the proposal to divide UttarPradesh into four states and said that UP chief minister Mayawati was playingvote bank politics in view of the coming elections. "There should benational-level discusssions on it. Let the national development councildecide," 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 hadbeen released across the nation between January 2010 and July 2011.

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

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

2011-10-30T06:39:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-03T05:38:00.000-07:00

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

2011-10-01T08:39:00.000-07:00

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

2011-08-22T05:35:00.000-07:00

'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

2011-07-26T21:04:00.000-07:00

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

2011-07-17T05:30:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-08T08:01:00.000-07:00

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

2011-05-22T20:30:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-19T08:52:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-13T07:09:00.000-07:00

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

2011-02-16T20:06:00.000-08:00

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

2011-02-15T20:11:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-30T08:22:00.000-08:00

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

2011-01-18T04:08:00.000-08:00

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.

Efforts on for Establishing Air Cargo Complex in Mangalore

2010-12-21T05:21:00.000-08:00

Efforts on for Establishing Air Cargo Complex in Mangalore
Daijiworld Media Network
Mangalore, Dec 21: That Mangalore is easily accessible to the rest of the country by land, rail, air and sea is a well known. This connectivity advantage has played a pivotal role in Mangalore emerging as an important economic and commercial place in Karnataka after Bangalore. Ever since international flights have started operating from Mangalore International Airport, the city is now best reached by air. With such easy accessibility to this port city, Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) of Mangalore, which has played a key role in the development activities of the district for over 70 years, has been directing its efforts to make use of the connectivity advantage enjoyed by Mangalore city, to provide fillip to the growth and development of this city.
KCCI has always taken up the mantle of giving a spur to the development process in the district since its inception. “KCCI is a proactive organization where we envision the development of the district. In this pursuit we are looking at avenues available for creating infrastructure so that real development takes place”, Mohandas Prabhu, President of KCCI points out.
GG Mohandas Prabhu
Continuing in the foot steps of the visionaries who envisioned an active role for it, KCCI under the dynamic leadership of its President G G Mohandas Prabhu has shouldered the responsibility of setting up an air cargo complex in Mangalore. While explaining the necessity of an air cargo complex Mohandas seems to be determined to see his dream project fructifies by the end of March 31, 2011. He says “the international flights have started operations from Mangalore long back and we are confident the airport will soon be elevated to the status of an international airport.
As a logical step towards the direction of development of the city, we need to set up an Air Cargo Complex to facilitate imports and exports especially through the gulf region “. KCCI is now looking forward to feel the pulse of the people of the costal district who have settled in the gulf region. Goods like Mangalore jasmine, seasonal fruits like mangoes, jackfruits, fish etc., can be exported to different countries using Dubai airport. Similarly, there are many medical and engineering colleges in and around Mangalore who might be interested in importing medical equipments and other machinery and this air cargo complex would be of immense help to import such equipments through Dubai airport. Mohandas Prabhu adds “we do not know who is interested in exporting goods from Mangalore to different countries of the gulf. It is not practicable for me to go to each country and find out who is interested. But we want to reach out to the people and make them aware about the availability of such a facility in Mangalore. I want the response of our people from the gulf region so that we can substantiate whatever study we have undertaken in this direction and present the hard facts to the government of India saying we have tremendous response from the people . That would make our case much stronger” . Based on the positive response of the people KCCI wants to pursue the matter with requisite proof which would play an essential role in speeding up the process of setting up air cargo complex. Establishing an air cargo complex would enable people to send commodities from Mangalore to the gulf region and vice versa. KCCI has given representation to the authorities and agencies involved, such as Airport Authority of India, Customs Department, the Importers and Exporters and other agencies, to make this dream become a reality. KCCI has held 3 rounds of discussions with Air India Express Manager, Mangalore, regarding this project and the airlines has assured their support and cooperation.
The air cargo complex would also provide an opportunity to send unaccompanied baggage for travelers who have extra luggage with them as this luggage also had to get clearance from the customs department. If the project becomes a reality it would further fuel growth and development in this region.
Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry has always been in the forefront in putting forward programmes and implementing them for creating better infrastructure keeping in mind the growth and development of the district. The ideas for setting up New Mangalore Port, the international airport (with good support from people like Rajesh Sequeira from the gulf) originated in the premises of this organization.
KCCI has other ambitious plans for the district including setting up of an international standard cricket stadium with a seating capacity of 50,000 people and a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal which can be converted into clean electricity. It is also in touch with the Ministry of Agriculture to set up a fishing harbor in Kulai, Hosabettu. Plans are also on the anvil to develop the tourism sector in the district, considering the potential for developing tourism in the district.
At present, the priority is for setting up the Air Cargo Complex and Mohandas Prabhu feels he will get enough inputs from Mangaloreans in the gulf region. Those who wish to give feed back or want to get more information can contact the chamber office on email or telephone, fax etc,.
Email : kanarachamber.2008@rediffmail.com or kanarachamber@gmail.com

Tel: 0824 – 2420128, 4260128

2493859 (after office hours)

Fax: 2420669

M'lore Airport Structurally Stable, No Threat from Quarries: B M Ravindra

2010-10-01T07:52:00.000-07:00

Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (SR/CN)
Mangalore, Oct 1: The recent reports on a national news channel regarding the geological instability of Mangalore Airport were brushed aside by B M Ravindra, deputy director, department of Mines & Geology, at a press meet here on Friday October 1.
Addressing the media at the New Terminal of the Bajpe Airport, Ravindra said that Bajpe region is 'structurally stable with a lateritic cover at the top underlain by very hard and fresh unweathered granitic rocks,' capable of withstanding a moderate earthquake of scale 2.
He added that there are a few lateritic quarries in the Adyapadi village, located around 300-400 mts towards the southeast from the airport. The laterite is a surfacial material deposited over a basement of hard and resistant granite rocks in Bajpe airport area. The hard laterite stones are extracted using cutting machines and blades, and not explosives, chemicals or blasts, he assured.
Ravindra also clarified that extraction of laterites was not the reason for landslides. Referring to the studies made in areas like Kethikal, Kadawada and Eliyarapadavu, he said that landslides in the coastal part of the state occur under special geo-environmental conditions which are not found in Bajpe - Adyapadi region.
There are two old granite quarries located at a distance of one km from the airport in the northwest sector, under the Karambar village limits. However, these quarries have posed no threat to the environment in the last thirty years of their operations, nor do they cause any danger to the structural stability of Bajpe airport, he said, rubbishing the media reports on national television.
Among those present were director of Mangalore Airport M R Vasudeva.

User Development Fee at Mangalore Airport from Sep 1

2010-08-10T05:59:00.000-07:00

(The Hindu)
Passengers boarding flights at the Mangalore airport will have to pay user development fee from next month. It is not applicable to incoming passengers.
Each passenger boarding domestic flights will have to pay Rs. 150 and those boarding flights to other countries will have to pay Rs. 825. However, there are some exemptions.
The user development fee will be in force for 10 years with effect from September 1, Director of the airport M.R. Vasudeva told The Hindu. The Union Ministry of Civil Aviation had approved the levying of the fee on May 25, he said.
Various airlines will collect the fee from the passengers and remit it to the Airports Authority of India (AAI). The fee includes service tax and collection charges of airlines.
Vasudeva said that infants (for infant tickets issued by airlines) would be exempt from paying the fee. Diplomatic passport holders, crew of airlines on duty and transit passengers need not pay the fee.
The AAI needs Rs. 75 lakh a month for maintaining the new air-conditioned terminal building, he said

Business as usual at Mangalore airport

2010-08-09T05:56:00.000-07:00

A.J. Vinayak for Business line(The Hindu publication)
Mangalore airport was in news for all wrong reasons two months ago. The air crash that killed 158 people led to apprehensions that passenger movement through the airport would be affected. But the users of Mangalore airport have laid such apprehensions to rest. Passenger movement has shown a growth even after the air crash.
The airport, which handled 1.34 lakh passengers during May-June 2009, handled 1.41 lakh passengers during May-June 2010. The airport achieved this growth in spite of diversion of planes due to inclement weather conditions in the region during the period.
Mr Rajesh Sequeira, coordinator of Karnataka NRI Forum at the UAE, told Business Line that the confidence level of travellers flying from West Asia to Mangalore was unaffected by the tragedy. “The confidence level is intact because of the facilities provided by the Airports Authority of India at the airport and the advantage of saving time and money by directly flying to Mangalore. The unfortunate incident of the air crash is one part of life. But life has to go on, so the air crash will not make a difference in to our day-to-day life,” he said.
Air India Express, the lone international carrier from Mangalore to West Asia, has not seen any drop in load factor after the air-crash. Sources in AI Express said the demand for tickets from West Asia to Mangalore had not come down, and passengers still prefer Mangalore airport.
Rapid development
Mr G. Giridhar Prabhu, an entrepreneur from Mangalore, said that air connectivity was a crucial aspect in a business-driven and socially-oriented place like Mangalore, and that the traffic was bound to increase as the region was developing at a rapid pace.
The airport, which witnessed a total passenger handling of little over a million passengers between 2000 and 2005, saw a three-fold increase between 2006 and first half of 2010. This growth was led by international passengers. International operations from Mangalore airport began on October 3, 2006. From October 2006 to June 2010, the airport handled a total of 29.81 lakh passengers. Of these, the number of international passengers stood at 6.82 lakh, or nearly 23 per cent of the total passengers handled during the period.
Direct connectivity between Mangalore and West Asia has helped NRIs increase their frequency of travel. Mr Sequeira said that people would travel only once in a year or so when there was no direct flight. “But after the direct flight connection to Mangalore, the frequency of such people visiting Mangalore has increased,” he said.
The number of international flights has increased from three a week in October 2006 to 26 a week now. Mangalore airport is now connected with destinations such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Muscat, Bahrain, Doha, Sharjah and Kuwait.
Along with passengers from Karnataka, travellers from northern Kerala account for a significant share in the growth of passengers over the years. Recently, the Kerala Association of Travel Agents submitted a memorandum to the Mangalore Airport Director, to start flights to destinations in Saudi Arabia such as Dammam, Riyadh and Jeddah.
The memorandum had stated that a large number of Saudi-bound passengers were from north Kerala and coastal Karnataka.
Mr Prabhu said that the traffic would increase if connectivity were to be provided to other regions. “Once the new terminal opens and airlines do their diligence, Mangalore will have greater potential for convergence from, say, Africa, and stopovers from West Asia to Sri Lanka, or stopovers from the near East like Singapore into Africa,” he said.
The growth in passenger traffic was also aided by the commissioning of the second runway at the airport in 2006. The 2450-metre-long second runway helped wide-bodied aircraft to land at the airport, which was not possible earlier. The old runway's length is 1,625 metres.
AIRCRAFT MOVEMENTS
Infrastructure addition was visible with the airport witnessing a higher number of aircraft movements. Mangalore, which witnessed 5,546 aircraft movements in 2006, saw it jumping to 8,334 movements in 2007. The aircraft movements reached 11,938 and 11,148 during 2008 and 2009, respectively. There have been encouraging signals on this count in the first half of 2010, as the airport witnessed 5,440 aircraft movements till the end of June.
Air traffic at Mangalore airport is set to go up in the years to come, as the Civil Aviation Ministry is planning to extend the second runway at the airport by another 305 metres (1,000 ft). It is essential for the airport to extend the runway length by another 1000 ft to get international status. A 9,000-ft runway is one of the requirements for any airport to get international status.
Mr Sequeira said that international status will help the airport attract more airlines to international destinations. Mangalore got the status of a Customs Aerodrome in May 2006. Mr Praful Patel, who was in Mangalore to inaugurate the new terminal building of Mangalore airport on May 15, had announced that the runway would be extended by 1,000 ft. He reiterated this even after the air-crash on May 22.
With air passenger confidence intact, many facilities in place and some more in the planning stage, Mangalore airport is all set to witness further growth in the years to come
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2010/08/09/stories/2010080950180500.htm

Mangalore : New Terminal - First Step Towards Next Level

2010-08-02T07:29:00.000-07:00

Special CorrespondentDaijiworld Media Network - Mangalore
Mangalore, Jul 2: With the new integrated terminal building of Mangalore Airport (NITB) becoming operational from today the long awaited dream of Mangaloreans has finally been fulfilled, albeit after much delay. Though the NITB was inaugurated on May 15, 2010 the terminal was not open for operations until today. With the shifting of the services completely to the new terminal the distance to the airport has been reduced by nearly 6 kms, which has come as a big relief to travelers from the coastal districts of Karnataka and the border districts of neighboring Kerala.
Apart from reducing the distance to the airport the NITB has become more of a necessity after the airport opened its door to international flights to operate from here four years back. Several airlines began to operate international flights from Mangalore airport to the Middle-East facilitating easy transit for a large number of people working in the Gulf countries. Therefore raising the airport to international standards was the need of the hour and the opening of the new terminal building is certainly a dream come true for the people of the coastal districts. Air India Express IX 820 from Bahrain/Kuwait was the first flight to land at the new terminal at 7.10 am today. The same Air India Express IX 820 was the first flight to depart to Dubai from the new terminal.
M R Vasudeva and Air India Station Manager Chellam Prasad along with other Airport officials and Air India Staff were present at the new terminal to greet the passengers arrived by the first flight which landed at the new terminal building.
Speaking to daijiworld.com Airport Director M R Vasudeva said “the new terminal is a gift to the people of Mangalore who have been waiting for this momentous day for a long time. The terminal is now operational and will be on trial basis for another 15 to 20 days and all facilities are available to passengers and airlines except the aerobridges which will be installed subsequently. NITB provides a comfortable and convenient ambience to both the passengers and the visitors. We have been able to provide more space to the airlines, for restaurants and shops, better facilities and space for passengers at the lounge and lobby”.
Air India Station Manager Chellam Prasad termed it “as a proud moment for Air India to be the first airline to land its aircraft at the new terminal. All credit should go to the Airport Director for making this dream a reality”.
The shortcomings
The initial euphoria not withstanding, not everything at the airport is near perfect at least from the point of view of the private airlines who feel that the facilities are inadequate. One of the private airlines official on condition of anonymity stated that lot work is still pending and there seems to be a few technical flaws which should have been taken care of at the time of the construction of the new terminal. The main grouse of the airlines is that there is no proper storage facility for the airlines to store necessary basic engineering equipments at the new terminal which might be required by the aircrafts such as tyres and other spare parts. These parts or equipments are very expensive and need to be stored with foolproof safety. But such a basic facility usually provided at international airports is not provided at the new terminal. The private airlines feel that they should have been taken into confidence during the process of construction of the new terminal.
The other flaw is that there is no provision for the airlines to go to the basement from inside the terminal in case the airline staff wants to approach the passengers or get their luggage. Suppose a passenger is taken ill after going in and does not want to travel the airline staff has to come out of the terminal into the public area and go a round about way to reach them which is a major drawback.

Proper surveillance system is the other major area the concerns the airlines, especially the bird hit issue though it is not directly connected with the new terminal. In the recent past there have been 3 cases of bird hit at the Bajpe airport including last weeks incident of a peacock that had hit the Jet Airways while landing, causing damage to the aircraft and delay in its departure. It is the emergency situations arising out of situations like this necessitate the need of proper storage facility for engineering equipments. These airlines have decided to take up the issue to the notice of the airport authorities as they feel that it is the duty of the Airport Authority to provide a clear ground for landing and departure. The airlines feel that Airport Authority should make provisions to deploy someone at least at the time of departure or make some arrangements to scare the birds and reduce such incidents.
There are also complaints of lack of proper communication facilities at the basement of the new terminal which comes in the way of effective communication. Security at the new terminal building is another major issue. With more entrance and exit areas and more space to be guarded the job of the Central Industrial Security Force has become all the more cumbersome and challenging. It certainly calls for increased manpower to man the new terminal building.
Once these lacunae are taken care of may be the new terminal building will be safe, comfortable and convenient for the passengers, airlines and the visitors. The NITB can handle about 500 passengers at a time both arrival and departure. Provisions are made for handling domestic and international passengers separately. Facilities are also provided for parking more than 300 cars at the terminal. The new terminal is capable of handling about 500 visitors at time.
There were apprehensions about the approach road to the new terminal building which are now allayed with separate provisions for entry and exit. Vehicles entering the NITB have to approach from the Shree Devi Institute of Technology road and the exit is from the road adjacent to the Deccan Park. The state government has promised to provide Rs. 9 crores to develop the new exit road. Though the dispute regarding the Deccan Park area is yet to be resolved Vasudeva feels that it will be solved and will not come in the way of developing the road.

New Integrated Terminal Bldg of M’lore Airport at Kenjar in Action

2010-08-02T06:49:00.000-07:00

Pics: Dayanand KukkajeDaijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SB)

Mangalore, Aug 2: The new integrated terminal building of City airport at Kenjar here began its full-fledged operations at 6.00 am on Monday August 2. The Air India Express flight IX 820 arriving from Dubai landed at 7.20 am albeit delayed by 1 hour 10 minutes becoming the first flight to touch down at the new terminal.
Airport director M R Vasudeva and Air India station manager Chellam Prasad accorded a warm welcome to all the passengers aboard the flight. Airport officials and Air India staff too were present on the occasion.
The Airports Authority of India thus finally has shifted the entire operations to the new integrated terminal building even though on a trial basis. Both operations of both domestic and international flights will be handled from the terminal henceforth.
There would be clearer demarcation of arrival, departure and visitors lounge with air travelers now getting access to the luxury of a good ambience and better facilities. However, the passengers would have to wait for another two to three weeks before the newly installed aerobridges are put to use at the terminal.
The new terminal is closer to the city by nearly six kilometers. Vehicles approaching new integrated terminal building will have to take the road laid adjacent to Shree Devi Institute of Technology, and exit from the road adjacent to Dakkan Park.

Mangalore: Hoax Call about Fire on AI Flight Causes Panic

2010-07-24T09:30:00.000-07:00

Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (AF)
Mangalore, Jul 24: Close to midnight on Saturday July 24, television channels like CNN-IBN and Times Now broke the news that Air India flight IX 811 at Mangalore airport had caught fire just before take off.
Immediately Daijiworld office was flooded with calls from anxious readers from every nook and corner. However, on investigation we have found that the reports were false and the 'call' to the duty manager at the airport regarding the fire was a hoax. Nevertheless, there was indeed a technical snag in the plane which caused a short delay before take off, but it was quickly sorted out and the flight took off from Mangalore as well as landed in Dubai safely.
It had been reported by the TV channels that 134 passengers were on board and that the tail of the plane had caught fire. They even stated that fire engines had been called to action whereas in reality, no such thing had taken place at all!

Mangalore: Peacock Hits Landing Jet Aircraft - Flight Delayed

2010-07-21T07:40:00.000-07:00

Mangalore: Peacock Hits Landing Jet Aircraft - Flight Delayed Daijiworld Medi Network - RS / FL
Mangalore, July 21: A Jet Airways aircraft to Mumbai was delayed for nearly three hours after a peacock hit the aircraft while landing at the Mangalore Airport.
`A peacock hit the aircraft while landing and there is no casualties to any of the passengers' said officials of Jet Airways in a statement. `The flight was delayed for undertaking technical errors in the equipments of the aircraft and the flight finally took off at 6.30 pm' Jet Airways officials informed. The aircraft was scheduled to leave Mangalore airport today at 2.40 pm .
The sources said that the flight was on the way from Mumbai to Mangalore with 75 passengers on board. The peacock's sudden entry in to the runway at the time of landing at about 2.10 pm created the problem resulting in the delayed departure of the flight. According to officials the flight was delayed only to rectify the technical errors caused by the bird hit. The plane was cleared for flight after conducting a technical survey.

Mangalore : Confidence Building Top Priority of M R Vasudeva

2010-07-15T05:38:00.000-07:00

Mangalore : Confidence Building Top Priority of M R Vasudeva
Daijiworld Media Network (FR)
Mangalore, Jul 15: M R Vasudeva assumed charge as the Airport Director of Mangalore Airport on July 14, 2010. Vasudeva has been transferred back to Mangalore from Coimbotore recently as the Airport Director in the level of General Manager.
When daijiworld contacted him to know his priorities on assuming charge at this crucial juncture, he stated that his foremost priority would be to undertake confidence building measures. “The public are unduly worried and I would like to reinforce our commitment to provide all safety and security measures in the airport to make it foolproof as much as possible. We will also ensure that we meet international civil aviation standards with the safety of passengers utmost in mind”, emphasized.
He denied the accusation that Mangalore being a table-top airport the runway is risky for landing. “The minds of the people are attuned to the oft repeated statements that table-top runways are hazardous, which is wrong. When a runway is made, it is made with a specific dimension whether it is on a hill top or on a plain ground and aircraft has to land there within that specific dimension. The pilot has to land the plane in that particular strip and all pilots are trained for that”, he asserted.
He also assured that airport would take necessary safety measures to get rid of all undue worries in public mind. He said sand arresters will be provided at the end of the runway as part of the safety measure. Vasudeva pointed out that there has been an increase in the number of passengers flying from Mangalore, as compared to last year. The number of passengers who travelled from Mangalore was 56,000 in June 2009, where as by June 2010 it rose to 63,000, which signifies that there has been an increase in the passengers who fly.
Without giving a specific date Vasudeva said that the New Integrated Terminal Building (NITB) will be thrown open to passenger traffic within the next 8 to 10 days. He will also have to oversee the all important task of extending the runway from the present 8,000 feet to 9,000 feet, to include a larger spillover area as part of the safety measure. The decision to extend the runway was taken by the Civil Aviation Ministry after the Air India Express crash that killed 158 lives in May this year.
With the much approachable and people-savvy Vasudeva as the Airport Director there is every possibility that the Mangalore International Airport will be able to win back the confidence of the people in the days to come.

M R Vasudeva Re-appointed Mangalore Airport Chief ?

2010-07-12T09:07:00.000-07:00

Mangalore: It's Official - M R Vasudeva to Assume Charge on Jul 14
Mangalore, Jul 12: Airport Authority of India has been once again appointed M R Vasudeva as the Airport Director of the Mangalore Airport and he will assume charge on Wednesday July 14, 2010. Mr Vasudeva confirmed to daijiworld that he has been transferred back to Mangalore from Coimbatore as Airport Director in the level of a General Manager. Vasudeva had served as the Airport Director of Mangalore from April 2002 to March 2009 before he was transferred on promotion to Coimbotore last March. So in a way it is home coming for Vasudeva, who hails from Udupi and who has been instrumental in giving a state-of-the art runway to Mangalore Airport.
It may be recalled that M R Vasudeva was instrumental in developing the Bajpe airport into an International Airport that resulted in landing international flights in Mangalore airport during his tenure. He played a key role in developing the state-of-the art new concrete runway and the New Integrated Terminal Building (NITB), which is all set for opening for passenger traffic any time now. M R Vasudeva had evinced keen personal interest in ensuring the completion of the NITB, which of course got delayed after his transfer.
Knowing his contributions to the Mangalore Airport as Director, efforts were made by many especially the NRI forums to retain him in Mangalore to oversee the completion of the new terminal. Though he was given extension finally he was relieved when the efforts to retain him did not fructify.
But now he is back at a crucial time, nearly one and half month after the crash of Air India Express flight from Dubai on May 22, 2010 and also just at a time when the new terminal is going to be opened for passenger traffic, the day which many Mangaloreans have been looking forward to, for a long time now. There is still ambiguity about the NITB opening for passenger traffic which is getting postponed and one can expect Vasudeva to put an end to this uncertainty once he assumes charge.
So, this time around, Vasudeva has the additional responsibility of infusing courage and confidence among the staff, the airlines and the passengers who are still in a state of shock after the air crash tragedy. Apart from that he has to ensure continuance of the work he has begun and also undertake other safety measures.
Earlier News:
M R Vasudeva Re-appointed Mangalore Airport Chief ?
Mangalore, Jul 11 (DHNS): Coimbatore Airport Director M R Vasudeva, who was instrumental in developing the state-of-the art new concrete runway and the Rs 260 crore project that includes the New Integrated Terminal Building (NITB) has been re-appointed the Airport Director for Mangalore Airport.
Sources told Deccan Herald that Vasudeva has been re-appointed the Mangalore Airport Director with immediate effect and he is likely to take charge on Wednesday.
“The present airport director Peter Abraham too will continue as the airport director for some time, but Vasudev will be heading the operations,” it is reliably learnt.
It may be recalled that right from acquiring land for the second runway to construction of NITB and launching of direct flights to West Asia and many more services, Vasudeva played an instrumental role.

Mangalore: New Terminal to be Functional in 10 days

2010-06-23T21:04:00.000-07:00

MANGALORE, Jun 23 (The Hindu): Director of the Mangalore airport Peter Abraham has said that the new integrated terminal building of the airport will be opened for passenger traffic in the next 10 days.
Speaking to The Hindu on Tuesday, a month after the May 22 crash of the Air India Express flight from Dubai, Abraham said that the opening of the new terminal was scheduled for June 1. “But the circumstances that prevailed in the aftermath of the crash prevented us from opening the terminal,” he said.
The date of commissioning would be decided by the local authorities in consultation with the regional headquarters of the Airports Authority of India at Chennai. The only aspect that was currently holding up the opening was the construction of a standby road, which would take another week, Mr. Abraham said.
The 360-m road, which would provide an alternate passage to the airport, is being built at the south-east end of the airport, abutting the now-abandoned Dakkan Hotel. Built at a cost of Rs. 35 lakh, this road will connect the airport to the Bajpe main road, via the Kenjar gram panchayat. This road will be used in emergencies only. Otherwise, it will remain closed.
ILS functional
The Instrument Landing System at the airport has been repaired and reinstalled. The ILS could not be used after the plane crashed into one of its crucial components on May 22. The ILS was re-commissioned on June 16, Mr. Abraham said.
Salvaging the wreck
There is still no clarity on when the wreckage of the plane will be removed from the crash site. While Mr. Abraham said that it was the responsibility of the airline to conduct the salvage, Station Manger of Air India Chellam Prasad said that the airline did not have the written clearance from the Airports Authority of India to go ahead. Mr. Abraham said that the airline was free to build a temporary shelter, next to the old engineering office near the new terminal building, whenever it wished.

Air travellers to be Compensated for Delayed, Cancelled Flight

2010-06-21T21:02:00.000-07:00

New Delhi, Jun 21, (PTI): Air travellers would now be compensated for cancellation or delays in flights which have not been caused by situations like fog or any reason beyond the control of the airlines, if a new draft rule is implemented.
New rules detailing the conditions of compensation have been drafted by the aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation, which has invited comments from the public before finalising them.
The decision came in the wake of rapid expansion of air services on domestic and international routes and the necessity for the government to ensure appropriate protection for air travellers in case of flight disruptions, denied boarding, cancellations and delays without due notice to the passengers, an official spokesperson said.
As the distinction between scheduled and non-scheduled services was coming down, such protectionary measures would also be provided to passengers travelling on non-scheduled flights, like charters, also.
The new rules or the Civil Aviation Requirement (CAR) would bring the Indian aviation law in tandem with the Montreal Convention in regard to the liabilities of the airlines.
The operating airline would, however, be under no obligation if the cancellations and delays are caused by events beyond its control, like natural calamities or political instability.
Under the draft CAR, the financial compensation would be given only if the amount of tickets cost is higher than the compensation amount.
It would be Rs. 2,000 or the value of the ticket whichever is less for flights having a block time of up to and including one hour. Till two hours, the compensation would be Rs 3,000 or the value of the ticket whichever is less.
Similarly, if the delay is more than two hours, the amount would be Rs 4,000 or the value of the ticket whichever is less.
The draft rule provides that alternatively, the passenger would be offered the choice of a refund at the price it was purchased, a flight to the first point of departure and alternative transportation to the final destination wherever applicable.
Besides, the passengers shall be offered free of charge meals and refreshments and hotel accommodation, including transfers, when necessary.

Bajpe Airport: Runway Length to be Increased from 8000 to 9000 ft

2010-05-30T06:37:00.000-07:00

New Delhi, May 30 (PTI): The runway length of Mangalore airport, which saw a major air crash a week ago that claimed 158 lives, will be increased from the present 8,000 ft to 9,000 ft to include a larger spillover area, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel has said. "In fact, we have already taken a decision to extend the runway from 8,000 ft to 9,000 ft. In that 9,000 ft, the spillover area and all such factors will be taken into account," the Minister said.
He maintained that the government would have an "open mind" to implement any measure arising out of the lessons from the Mangalore air crash.
Replying to questions in Karan Thapar's 'Devil's Advocate' programme in CNN-IBN, Patel said the existing 8,000 ft runway was "fully compliant" with all the required guidelines and had a spillover area of 90 metres, which is the threshold area of the runway, based on its length.
"Though I am not an expert, but I can say with a sense of responsibility that if there are any mandatory requirements which are not fulfilled, not only in Mangalore but at any other airport in the country, these shall be corrected."
To a question on having an approach radar at Mangalore, he said it was "already being contemplated. Whatever is required will be done".
Observing that the Mangalore runway was earlier 6,000 feet in length, he said the risks of flying the same type of aircraft was larger. The present one was a new runway, he said. "Whatever has to be learnt from the air crash and whatever has to be improved upon will be done," Patel said.
Soon after the crash, he said he had chaired a high-level meeting of officials and a Civil Aviation Safety Advisory Council (CASAC) was set up to advise Directorate General of Civil Aviation on all aspects relating to safety.
Asserting that "Indian aviation is safe", Patel said "aviation per se can only be either 100 per cent safe or zero. ... Aviation is not a game of chance .... Any error can lead to what happened in Mangalore," he said, adding that the inquiry would establish what led to the crash.
Asked whether the International Civil Aviation Organisation and the US Federal Aviation Administration had downgraded Indian aviation sector's safety record, he said it was "absolutely wrong. The ICAO and the FAA both have certified that (aviation in) India is 100 per cent safe."
While disagreeing with the suggestion that the DGCA rules and procedures were "stand alone" and did not match the international norms, Patel said the regulatory body would examine all issues in totality and take necessary decisions.
"Let us not scare people away. These are difficult times but let us not make it an issue where people lose faith in our own system," he added.

IX 812 Passenger Manifest

2010-05-22T23:20:00.000-07:00

http://docs.google.com/View?id=d692cbr_5vx44fsfd

Mangalore Crosses Another Milestone – Airport Terminal Inaugurated

2010-05-15T06:42:00.000-07:00

Pics by Dayananda KukkajeDaijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)
Mangalore, May 15: The new integrated terminal of the local international airport was inaugurated by union minister for civil aviation, Praful Patel, on Saturday May 15. It was a moment of pride for the people of the twin-districts of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada, as the inaugural of the modern terminal will pave way for more international flights, opening up vistas of new opportunities for investment, tourism, employment and business. In his address, Patel said that the Indian aviation market, which is presently ranked ninth in the world, has the potential to jump to fifth spot within the next five years. He said that the runway of the airport, which is 8,000 feet long now, is required to be increased to 9,000 feet so as to earn the international status, and that his ministry is prepared to release Rs 100 crore additionally for development works at this airport. He noted that with the inauguration of a new international standard building, other facilities to raise the airport to international standard will be provided at the earliest and that earnest efforts will be made to fulfill the demand of the people here for commencement of flights to Saudi Arabia and other destinations. He added that all required facilities including the extension of runway here will be provided within a year to ensure that the airport acquires international status.

State Chief Minister, B S Yeddyurappa, who participated in the function as chief guest, revealed about the state’s plan to have airstrips at a distance of about 100 kms from each other. He said the state will have 13 airstrips at various places including Shimoga, Bellary and Gulbarga. He noted that a proposal has been made to the concerned, to allow civil operations in the Bidar naval airport. With the opening of new airports, investors will find it easier to visit the state for various purposes, and a global investors’ meet is being held in Bangalore shortly, he explained. He promised on behalf of the state government, to provide approach road to the new terminal at a cost of nine crore rupees, and that the state cabinet has already given its nod for this project.
Former union minister, Oscar Fernandes, in his address, recollected the inaugural of the local airport for the first time, by the then Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru and that as a ten year-old boy, he had come to watch the inaugural. He urged minister Patel to meet all the requirements of the airport and the demand of the local people for flights to Saudi Arabia. He said that the city is developing into a global educational hub and that the city has been witnessing tremendous development due to the efforts made by successive governments.
Union law and justice minister, M Veerappa Moily, also recalled his trip to the airport during its inauguration several decades ago by Nehru, when he was 11. He expressed happiness at the progress witnessed by the airport in the form of new terminal building, longer runway and modern facilities.
The airport here boasts of being the only international airport in the state that has been established and run by the government. The city is poised for getting more attention at the global level, with the throwing open the new terminal to the service of the nation.
The new airport project has been taken up at a cost of about Rs 500 crore, to be developed in an area of about 583 acres of land. In the first phase, the new terminal building, built at a cost of Rs 147 crore over 70 acres of land, has come up. This building is centrally air-conditioned, and covers an area of 18,220 square metres. Facility to handle Indian and foreign passengers separately has been provided.
For the first time in the history of the airport here, the users of the airport will be able to enjoy services like air-conditioned aerobridge, seven escalators, seven lifts etc. The terminal also has been equipped with inline baggage x-ray system, automatic intelligent fire alarm system, CC camera, car calling system and 28 check-in counters, customers and immigration facility, VIP lounge, restaurant etc.
The new airport can accommodate four A-310 and an A-321 aircrafts at a time. Once the airport is fully developed, three more aircrafts can be parked here. Including the old port, the total capacity of the airport is nine aircrafts and two helicopters. The car park can accommodate 300 vehicles. The new terminal is also nearer to the city by seven kms.
State tourism minister, Janardan Reddy, district in-charge minister, Krishna J Palemar, MP, Nalin Kumar Kateel, city mayor, Rajani Dugganna, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president, R V Deshapande, MLA, Abhayachandra Jain etc., were present.
Airports authority of India Chairman, V P Agarwal, delivered the welcome address.
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Airport : Four Directors in Eight Months Hampers Progress

2010-01-31T08:55:00.000-08:00

by Florine Roche - Daijiworld Media Network
Jan 31, 2010
It is generally said that comparisons are odious. Nevertheless situations call for such comparisons especially when undue delay and apathy nullifies the efforts and progress made by a predecessor and the successors fails to carry on the same tempo of progress. The fate of the new airport terminal at Bajpe Airport which awaits inauguration for quite some time now, is the situation referred to here that necessitates the comparison. When M R Vasudeva was the Airport Director tremendous headway was made as far as converting the tiny Mangalore Airport into that of an International standard one.
Ever since his promotion transfer to Coimbotore in April last year there has been a change of guard at the helm too often and one is bound to remember and compare his services with the present people at the top and one need not say the result has not particularly pleasing. In the last 8 months there have been four Airport Directors. M R Vasudeva B R Sena, V N Chandran and present Director Peter Abraham have been Airport Directors in the short span of 8 months. Peter Abraham assumed charge from V N Chandran in the last week of December 2009. Going by the trend one wonders how many more Directors and changes are in the offing before the new terminal sees the light of the day which is not too far if the airport authorities are to be taken on their face value.
Inauguration of new terminal in March?
With the tentative dates given for its inauguration of the new terminal getting postponed for reasons best known to the Airport Authorities both in Mangalore and Delhi, scores of people who have been fervently waiting for the new terminal to become operational, are getting impatient and are crestfallen.
According to the Peter Abraham K, the new Airport Director the new terminal will be inaugurated in March this year. However, he refused to divulge any more information including any further details on the eagerly awaiting direct flights to Saudi about which scores of people are keen to know. When daijiworld contacted him to elicit more information he could only say that 99% of the work at the terminal is complete and the remaining work would be completed by February and terminal would inaugurated in March this year. “The date of the VIP is awaited and the matter is handled by the Airport Authority of India. Mangalore Airport cannot do much about it”, he stated.

When asked whether there were any bottlenecks with regard to the new terminal to become operational he said “our work is in the finishing stage. There is no problem with the approach road to the new terminal either. We are giving a final touch to the passing facilities which are expected to be ready by February this year”.
He also evaded an answer when asked whether the terminal would become operational in the event of the formal inauguration gets postponed beyond March. With regard to direct flights from Mangalroe to Saudi he said “we are not going to start any flights as of now. It all depends on the airlines which should come forward with the proposal and the final decision will be taken at our headquarters”. In fact he was getting vexed at any query relating to the inauguration of the new terminal or about the new flights from Mangalore airport. It gave an impression as though he is yet to get acquainted with the set up and the situation here, which is indeed not expected from a person holding such an eminent post especially when Mangalore airport all set to attain international airport status. The only course left now is to hope against hope that it will be inaugurated and becomes operational by March this year. Many Mangaloreans had premonition about the things to come by and it was precisely for this reason they were saying Vasudeva should have been brought back to oversee the inauguration of the new terminal.
Saudi Flights – a non starter
Mangaloreans settled in Saudi Arabia have been fancying the idea of flying directly to Mangalore from Saudi for almost three years hoping it is only a matter of time before their long cherished dreams become a reality. They had collected signatures and had even submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister and continued their efforts in this direction. Since then there has been enormous changes and Air India Express has introduced direct flights to six gulf countries including Kuwait, Dubai, Bahrain, Doha, Muscat and Abu Dabhi. Hopes were raised for Saudi also as Air India gave a proposal to their headquarters to start direct flights. Station Manager of Air India Chellam Prasad confirmed it saying “we have given the proposal to the headquarters sometime ago and are waiting for the approval”. The present Airport Director has now stated they are not going to start any direct flights to Saudi. According to reliable source there has been no response from the Civil Aviation Ministry for the proposal.
There seems to be an orchestrated move to sideline the country’s national career and make way for private operators to make merry at the cost of the national airlines. Within the country too the national airlines has been made to bear the brunt of efforts to systematically chuck out the national airlines. According to reliable sources some flights of national airlines which were going to full strength in Mumbai and Bangalore have been stopped and given to private operators. According to reliable sources the flights to gulf countries will also be slowly handed over to the private operators who are keen to grab the opportunity. That includes flights to Saudi Arabia also and the private operators already tom-tom about this move of the Ministry. An Air India employee said on condition of anonymity that Civil Aviation Ministry is poisoning the national airlines to death and slowly the vast assets of the national airlines will also be handed over to the leading private operators. It is said that it is this move that delays the introduction of direct flights to Saudi Arabia from Mangalore.
National airlines are the pride of any country and this move to poison it to death will only give an upper hand to private operators who will then have a free hand to enhance the fair according to their whims and fancy.
One can only hope good sense prevails and such nefarious moves of the ministry are thwarted. Let us hope the long awaited of Mangaloreans in Saudi will see the light of the day soon. But first let us wait for the new terminal to become operational which, hopefully, will come about in March this year as promised.

Mangalore: Peter Abraham is Airport Director

2009-12-31T20:35:00.000-08:00

The Hindu
Mangalore, Jan 1: Peter Abraham has taken charge as Director of Mangalore airport on Wednesday, December 30.
The Union Government has upgraded the post of Airport Director to the General Manager’s level. Mr. Abraham replaces V.N. Chandran, who has been transferred to Thiruvananthapuram. Mr. Abraham has worked at Chennai, Mumbai and Thiruvananthapuram airports and has undergone advanced training in air traffic services at the U.S. Federal Aviation Academy.

Mangalore: Air India Express Debut Flight to Jeddah

2009-10-25T07:34:00.000-07:00

Mangalore: Air India Express Debut Flight to Jeddah Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje Daijiworld Media Network—Mangalore (RD/CN)
Mangalore, Oct 25: The first flight of Air India Express (AIE) to Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), from Bajpe Airport, was flagged-off by union minister for external affairs S M Krishna at 12.45 pm on Sunday October 25. The aircraft carried 112 Haj pilgrims.
Krishna presented a rose to each pilgrim before they boarded the flight.
It was indeed a joyous occasion for Haj pilgrims of undivided Dakshina Kannada, Kasargod, Uttar Karnataka, and Malnad regions as they now have an easier means of going on the holy pilgrimage to Mecca.
AIE flight number 1302 will have a stopover at Kozhikode (Calicut) and the onward journey to Jeddah will be by AIE flight number 8036.
AIE city manager Chellam Prasad, local Haj committee members, state minister for Wakf and minority development Mumtaz Ali Khan, Rajya Sabha member Oscar Fernandes, Blossom Fernandes, former union minister Janardhan Poojary, and several dignitaries were present on the occasion.
The Haj training camp for pilgrims and a stage programme were held at Ansari Masjid grounds, Bajpe, on Sunday morning after which Krishna also flagged-off the buses taking the pilgrims to the airport.
Religious leaders under the leadership of Ullal Tangal Assayed Abdul Rehman Musliar performed the rituals related to the pilgrimage.

Mangalore: High Drama Mid Air – AI Inflight Crew Face up to the Challenge

2009-10-13T07:28:00.000-07:00

Mangalore: High Drama Mid Air – AI Inflight Crew Face up to the Challenge
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (SB) Mangalore,

Oct 13: Air India, India's national carrier’s nightmarish experiences seems to see no end. In the recent past, right from the impact of economic slowdown to employees strike, the company has been going through turbulent times. Air India's most profit making sector Dubai – Mangalore has embroiled itself in endless controversies since last few months. Latest is the erratic behaviour of a passenger aboard Air India Express flight from Dubai that arrived at the local airport on Sunday morning has brought the carrier in the news, especially among the Mangaloreans worldwide. The incident posed quite a challenge and tested the efficiency of the crew to handle pressure.
Official Clarification It was reported that passenger Mohammed Ashraf (28) from Puttur had bitten male in-flight crew. However, Chellam Prasad, area manager, Air India Express, Mangalore clarified that the said passenger did not bite any of the inflight crew, bit in fact had slapped the only male inflight crew Nayan Purohit on board. The other three inflight crew members were females”, she informed. "It was really a challenging job for these young crew members as they really struggled to control the changing behaviour of Ashraf, who seemed disturbed. Through out the incident, Nayan kept his cool and even went up to the extent of feeding the man with some food after the crew managed to tie his hands to the seat, said Chellam Prasad.
However, the most challenging and fearful situation arose when Ashraf rushed to the cabin threatening to open the entrance door of flight. It was exemplary presence of mind show by the crew members to control him at that stage and put him back to his seat, she said adding that at the stage he put the life of the entire 120 passengers at risk.
When queried as to why the flight think of an emergency landing at the nearby airport like it did few weeks back when flight to Dubai landed in Mumbai airport when couple of passengers misbehaved with cabin crew, Chellam Prasad said that Ashraf began creating problems midway and we were left with no option, but reach our destination.
Currently Ashraf from Kinnimajal Atoor in Puttur taluk is in police custody and the investigation is underway. Ashraf had gone to Dubai on a four-year visa to work as car driver there. Reportedly, he sought leave to visit home on September 18, but was mentally disturbed as the same was not granted.
Co-passengers’ Response
When Daijiworld contacted one of the co-passengers, she said that situation had turned tense inside the flight and behaviour of Ashraf was unacceptable. She praised the cabin crew for handling the situation in a polite and professional way. "Service of the cabin crew was pleasant throughout the journey", she said.
Chellam Prasad expressing gratitude to co-passengers, said that few of the co-passengers came to the rescue of the cabin crew, and helped bring situation under control. "We are really grateful to passengers on board, Madhukar, Mahale, Bhasker, M Khan and Ramakrishna for their timely help”, she said. Reading the incident on dajiworld, few readers from Dubai have expressed surprise over the report on the behaviour of Ashraf. A reader Samad writes "Ashraf is a strong person, and has no past history of mental problem. “However he was suffering from Asthama," he adds. Another reader writes, “Ashraf was going through depression and was under medication. Lack of sleep and heavy workload on previous day might have caused the above said behaviour, he adds.

Mentally Challenged Passenger Injures Dubai - Mangalore Flight Crew

2009-10-12T07:30:00.000-07:00

Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (SP)
Mangalore, Oct 12: A mentally challenged passenger aboard the Air India Express flight from Dubai that arrived at the local airport on Sunday morning injured two of the flight crew by biting them during the flight.
Mohammed Ashraf (28) from Kinnimajal Atoor in Puttur taluk, is facing the charge of using his teeth to inflict injuries on two of the in-flight crew. Ashraf had gone to Dubai in the year 2007, on a four-year visa, to work there as car driver. Reportedly, he sought leave to visit his home on September 18, but was mentally disturbed as the same was not granted.
Ashraf, who boarded the Air India Express flight from Dubai that reaches here at 6 am, suddenly turned violent half way through the flight. He reportedly injured the chief crew Kuyal Kalari and crew member, Nayana Purohit, by biting at their ears and hands. The crew members then tied him down to his seat. As soon as the flight arrived here, he was handed over to the policemen of Bajpe station. On a complaint filed by Sunil V Bhat representing Air India, the Bajpe policemen have registered a case.
The injured crew members however, returned by the same flight, it is learnt.

Dubai - Mangalore AI Express Drama : Two Passengers Offloaded in Mumbai

2009-07-31T20:56:00.001-07:00

Dubai - Mangalore AI Express Drama : Two Passengers Offloaded in Mumbai
By Naveen Frank, On Board IX 811Daijiworld Media Network
On Board IX811, Jul 31: Two unruly passengers travelling from Mangalore to Dubai by Air India Express IX811 were offloaded at Mumbai's Chatrapati Shivaji Airport after 45 minutes towards Dubai.
These passengers were sitting on one of the last rows of the aircraft. The captain announced that the flight will be diverted to Mumbai and the passenger handed over to the authorities.
Meanwhile our correspondent who was on the same flight spoke to the flight attendant, who said that the said passenger were agitated because alcohol was not served on this particular flight.
They demanded that they be served liquor which was refused.
The captain finally decided to divert the plane to Mumbai.
Flight Landed at Dubai Airport at 4.30am, UAE time
IX811 finally took off from Mumbai airport at 0230 hrs IST and reached its destination Dubai after a 4 hr 30 minute delay.
What needs to be asked is, was the captain justified in diverting the flight back to India, and that too Mumbai a busy airport.
The flight took off smoothly from Mangalore at aroung 2136 hrs and all was well until about 45 minutes of flying towards its destination Dubai.
The captain made a strange announcement stating that alcohol and food will not be served due to the behaviour of some passengers and the security of the crew, pssengers and athe aircraft was of absolute importance. Not many understood the seriousness of the announcement as there was no commotion nor was there any sign of any argument or raised voices. Another announcement soon followed which suggested that we were heading back to Mumbai to offload the unruly passengers. Only then did all heads turn to the back to see what had actually happened. Again, there was no sign of any verbal fight or anyone showing signs of any agitation. What made the flight attendants to complain to the captain and what made the captain take the ultimate decision to divert the aircraft to Mumbai and have the 2 passengers arrested. The 2 passengers in question were in no position to talk. The flight attendendants were tight lipped except that the 2 men demanded alcohol which was refused. They did not turn physical nor did they raise their voices. Speaking to the passengers closest to the men in question, it was learnt that initially it started with a friendly verbal conversation between the passengers and the flight crew. Somehow the flight crew could not take the constant pestering and hence must have taken a stern stand that further agitated the inibriated passengers. Would it have died down if the cabin crew just ignored them and went on to serve dinner as planned ? Nobody really knows what the passengers talked to the crew that made them approach the captain. Similar incidents are common in many flights. Normally the cabin crew pacify or control the passengers . If it goes out of hand, they normally hand him over to the authorities at the port of call. Why did not the AIE captain do the same ? Why could he not alert the Dubai authorities and hand them over on arrival ? All the other passengers would have reached on time. Why did he decide to turn around and return to India. In fact he took him more time to return and find a landing slot in the busy Mumbai airport . If security was his concern, then he ought to have headed straight to Dubai and land as quickly as possible. At the end of the day, a flight full of passengers with many small children were holed up on the aircraft for 5 hours with no food and water, limited air conditioning on the tarmac, overused toilets and a further 2 hours 30 minute flight to Dubai. Air India Express is duty bound to tell their passengers as to why they took such a drastic step for what seemed to be a simple case of unruly behaviour !

Dubai - Mangalore AI Express Drama : Two Passengers Offloaded in Mumbai

2009-07-31T20:56:00.000-07:00

Dubai - Mangalore AI Express Drama : Two Passengers Offloaded in Mumbai

2009-07-30T20:56:00.000-07:00

Mangalore: It’s Smooth Ride to Airport Down the Road Come September

2009-07-07T05:17:00.000-07:00

Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje

Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (RS/SB)
Mangalore, Jul 7: The new integrated terminal building of the Mangalore Airport at Bajpe here is all set to be inaugurated in the first week of September. And now the two-way road via Kenjar connecting airport that reduces the distance to the airport by eight kilometres is almost ready and will be opened for traffic at the time of terminal’s inaugural.
The major works of the newly constructed road are almost finished with electrification works pending, which will render the roads more convenient. It is the state government’s project which has been implemented using the Asian Development Bank loan and the work contract was given to Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development and Finance Corporation (KUIDFC). The new road, which was planned as a four-way, is now a two-way lane after innumerable controversies and alleged private excavations in hillock, where the road project was framed.
According to Syed Elyas Pasha, KUIDFC executive engineer the road will open for traffic from September after it is handed over to Airport Authority of India (AAI). The minor works related to the new road, which includes place markings on the road and power supply to the lights, are pending, added Pasha. The existing road via Dakkan Park will be used as an entry to airport, whereas the new road will be to exit from the airport, as per the sources in AAI. But nothing in this regard has been finalized as yet.

The total cost of the project is estimated at Rs 8.89 crore that includes strengthening of the existing road of 1.25 kilometres which was under the supervision of public works department. These works apart, a new 875-metre long road from Kenjar village junction to new airport terminus too has been laid.
The project that was conceptualized two years ago is now finally ready. Initially, the project faced hurdles as far as acquisition of land was concerned with few landowners refusing to part with their land. After the issue was resolved, the KUIDFC took up the works of construction of the road.
Meanwhile, another interesting fact is that Mangalore City Corporation had begun road works from KPT circle to Maravoor bridge in the name of airport connectivity road. After finishing works on one-kilometre stretch, the work gained a sluggish pace and is yet to be completed though MCC has received both central and state government grants. The contractors have been blamed for the slow progress of work. Once the project is completed then the way to the airport is all smooth.

Dubai: Kingfisher Airlines Announces Launch of UAE-India Flights

2009-06-25T01:12:00.000-07:00

Report by Shodhan Prasad and Rajesh Sequeira
Pics by Sujay Bendore
Daijiworld Media Network - Dubai

Dubai, Jun 25: Kingfisher Airlines, India's only Five Star airline rated by Skytrax, today announced its entry into the Middle East connecting India and the UAE, as part of its strategy of expanding its global footprint and adding new destinations to its international route network.

In a message sent to commemorate the launch of this new international route of Kingfisher Airlines, Dr. Vijay Mallya, Chairman and CEO, Kingfisher Airlines Limited, said, “Ever since its launch, Kingfisher Airlines has raised the bar with many market-firsts and innovations that have completely redefined the whole experience of flying. Given the strong linkages between the UAE and India, the launch of this new route will mean that travelers will now have the option to enjoy the award-winning Kingfisher Experience.”

Addressing the media at a press conference at the launch of its daily direct flights from Dubai to Bangalore, Siva Ramachandran, Vice President-Global Sales, Kingfisher Airlines Limited said: “I am delighted to announce the commencement of flights between Dubai and Bangalore which marks our entry into the UAE market for the first time. Dubai is the airline’s fourth international destination after London, Colombo and Dhaka. The flights between Dubai and Bangalore will be operated using the A320 family of aircraft featuring Kingfisher Class, the premium economy service from Kingfisher Airlines. What is unique to Kingfisher Airlines is that it has one of the largest networks in India connecting over 50 destinations from Bangalore which will assure seamless connectivity to our guests from the UAE who intend to fly to practically any major Indian city.”

Describing the launch of Kingfisher Airlines’ flight as an important development that further solidifies the strong links between the two vibrant and emerging economies and two vital entities, Mr. Richard Talian, Vice President, Strategy, Dubai Airports said, “While Dubai is the business and leisure capital of the region, Bangalore is the heart of India’s multi-billion dollar IT sector. And whereas Dubai Airports is considered one the world’s leading aviation hubs, Kingfisher Airlines is one of India’s fastest growing international carriers.”

The award-winning Kingfisher Experience includes onboard comforts so that guests are able to rest in the roomiest seats in the sky with a wide seat pitch and ample room to stretch their legs. Moreover, the dining options ensure that guests have an ample spread with a choice of mouth-watering options and a perfect accompaniment from a selection of beverages on board. The In-Flight Entertainment system will ensure enthralling world-class entertainment with a personal system on every seat featuring the latest blockbuster movies, English and Hindi TV programmes and Kingfisher Radio.

Ramachandran highlighted that the newly launched flights offer the best-in-class experience amongst the narrow-body products serving this route and this coupled with ideal and convenient timings, will offer travelers on this route a better option. “Our aim is to offer unprecedented convenience and comfort to our customers, both Indian expats as well as tourists from both countries. Thanks to our very competitive fares and Kingfisher Airlines’ vast and unparalleled domestic network in India, the initial response to the launch of these new flights has been extremely encouraging and we look forward to rapidly consolidating our market share on this new international route.”

The flight will take off from Dubai at 10:10 pm and reach Bangalore at 3:45 am, the following day. Kingfisher Airlines flights operate from Terminal 1 of Dubai Airport. The flights are conveniently timed with the flight from Bangalore leaving at 6:15 pm and reaching Dubai at 8:55 pm, local time.

Guests flying in to Bangalore from Dubai on Kingfisher Airlines will now have the added advantage of having very conveniently timed onward connections to many domestic destinations in India with almost immediate connections from Bangalore to Mangalore, Goa, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Pune, Kolkata, Hubli, Belgaum, Nagpur, Guwahati, Bhubaneswar, Hyderabad and all major metros in India. In addition, guests will also have the option of conveniently timed onward connections on Kingfisher Airlines flights to international destinations like Colombo and Dhaka.

Bangalore is ideally placed as a transit hub for travelers flying from Belgaum, Chennai, Calicut, Coimbatore, Hubli, Kochi, Mangalore, Thiruvananthapuram and Vijaywada into Dubai as it offers easy connectivity, thanks to the fact that it has a minimum connect time. Outbound travelers connecting with this flight of Kingfisher Airlines will not have to change or transfer from one airport terminal to another as the domestic and international sections are less than 100 meters away from each other.

Kingfisher Airlines caters to all segments of the air travel ranging from low-fare service-Kingfisher Red, to the premium economy service-Kingfisher Class, to the luxurious Kingfisher First.

Speaking on the subject Rajesh Sequeira of NRI Forum questioned them on the Mangalore sector for which the officials said it would be in their top priority. Rajesh also put up a question on the Hotel connections arrangement they have and they said that they have all these facilities arranged with a good grade hotels. The other feature Kingfisher has as an add on is a baggage allowance of 40 kg. each on both way.

The press Conference was held at the Spice Ball Room of Atlantis Hotel, Dubai on thursday June 25, 2009.

This is the first daily flight connecting Dubai to the Garden City of India, Bangalore by Kingfisher Airlines.

About Kingfisher Airlines:

Kingfisher Airlines is India's only Five Star airline rated by Skytrax, and the only one to offer premium first class service on domestic routes. Besides being the first and only airline in India to offer in-flight entertainment on every seat, Kingfisher offers LIVE TV on many domestic routes in India with 16 channels of live and exciting content. The airline has received numerous awards for innovation, customer responsiveness and was voted the ‘Best New Airline of the Year’, within months of its launch.

Kingfisher Airlines is a part of the UB Group that is one of India’s largest conglomerates with diverse interests and a global presence. Kingfisher Airlines covers all segments of air travel from low fares to premium service and offers most flights by any single airline network in India. Kingfisher Airlines now connects 69 cities in India with a fleet of 74 aircraft and operates over 400 flights a day in India.

For Booking: http://www.flykingfisher.com/

Kingfisher announced a special return fare of Dhs.1,250/- inclusive of all taxes to the South Indian Sectors. Any one who wish to fly any South Indian Sectors including Mangalore can avail this special opportunity but however the tickets needs to be booked and purchased prior to 31st July, 2009. Once booked the validity of these ticket will be until 31/12/2009.

The press conference was arranged very well in this prestigious hotel of Dubai with a number of correspondents from various Media, Press and T.V. present at the function. The function would have got more glamour if the big boss Vijay Mallya himself would have been present.

We will now have daily direct flights to Bangalore from Dubai and later to other cities including Mangalore. Another sector from Abu Dhabi to Bangalore is in scanner and may be considered at a later date as per the officials.

Mangalore Airport New Terminal - Final Countdown Begins...

2009-06-24T23:39:00.000-07:00

by Florine Roche -
Pics by Dayananda Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network

B R Sena, Joint General Manager (CNS) took over the reigns of the Mangalore Airport from the dynamic M R Vasudeva in April this year, who accepted his promotion after dithering for almost 8 months. M R Vasudeva during his tenure had set high standards and gave a new impetus to the Mangalore airport. Naturally, B R Sena had the tough time living up to the expectations set by his predecessor. But the issue of appointing him as the Airport Director is also shrouded in uncertainty depriving him of taking any vital decisions in his news postings.

Undaunted by these high expectations Sena has been going about his work with the same tempo and enthusiasm to make the Integrated Terminal Building of Mangalore Airport operational as early as possible. It means that the commissioning of the much awaited new Integrated Terminal Building will succeed in providing international airport status to Mangalore Airport. It will be a major victory for all those who have been trying hard in realizing this dream of many years.

Speaking to Daijiworld Sena said that Chairman of Airport Authority of India had visited and surveyed the work at the new terminal on May 7, 2009. “Based on this assessment the target date for the completion of the building is set as 31st July, 2009. Technical people in charge of the work have been positive about completing the work by this stipulated time. If everything goes as expected the inauguration of the new terminal will be held in the first week of September and at the same time the operations will also be shifted to the new terminal”, he explained.

The Civil and Engineering work will be completed by the end of July this year. Priority will then be given to provide other basic and essential services at the new terminal building. “The day the first passenger of the first flight arrives he has to be impressed and gauge the availability of all the facilities. Within the next seven days the airport terminal should be equipped with all the facilities”, Sena pointed out.

Adhering to the deadline it has set is feasible in an ideal situating assuming that everything goes right and there are no bottlenecks in the way of completing the project. According to Sena the only bottleneck visible at the moment is whether the oil browsers (oil tankers) will be able to move in the approach road or not due to its steepness. If these browsers are not able to move in this steep road then we have to find an alternate road for the purpose of transporting refuel facility for aircrafts. Once the operations are shifted to the new terminal the old building will be used for cargo handling and the continuance of the same will depend on the volume of cargo.

B R Sena who is from Kolkotta has served in different places all over the country including Bangalore. He has opted for serving in Mangalore after a long stint of almost 8 years in HAL airport, Bangalore, handling operations there at the crucial time between 2004 and 2008 when air traffic was at the peak. When M R Vasudeva was transferred Sena opted for Mangalore. Since his family is in Bangalore it makes commuting between Mangalore and Bangalore easier so that he can visit his family when required. He likes everything about Mangalore including its climate which is similar to his native Kolkotta. “The atmosphere is peaceful and people are really nice. I have stayed in many places during my 27 years of service. But this is the one place where all my belongings have remained safe though I was away from Mangalore for more than a month”, he recalls.

For Sena every work is challenging and every challenge is interesting. Let us hope he takes up the challenge of completing the new terminal before the stipulated time giving international status to Mangalore airport.

Having realized that parking contractors were not doing justice by charging car parking fee to every vehicle that came to the airport Sena has come to the rescue of those vehicles that entered the airport just for picking or dropping their relatives or friends. Now a time limit of 10 minutes is given for four wheelers without charging any parking fee once they enter the airport. In the new terminal building the system will be computerized where no vehicles can escape from paying parking fee beyond the 10 minute time frame allowed for vehicles.

Fond Farewell to Mangalore Airport Director M R Vasudeva

2009-04-03T08:40:00.000-07:00

Fond Farewell to Mangalore Airport Director M R Vasudeva

Pics: Dayananda Kukkaje Daijiworld Media Network—Mangalore (RS/CN)
Mangalore, Apr 3: M R Vasudeva, Mangalore Airport Director, a down to earth personality, an achiever par excellence, responsible for having Mangalore airport marked on the International map through his dedicated service to the cause finally bade good bye to Mangalore Airport and accepted his promotion as General Manager at Coimbatore Airport.
With the efforts from NRE organizations and others , he managed to delay his departure for about 8 months, thanks to Civil Aviation minister Praful Patel. But due to the forthcoming general elections and not to put his promotion at risk, Vasudeva decided to move from Mangalore as he had no assurances from the Central government that he would be retained as General Manager in Mangalore.
"I am extremely satisfied with my achievement and progress of Mangalore airport. Due to dedicated team work, we have achieved so much within a short span of time" said Vasudev while speaking to daijiworld. He is grateful to daijiworld.com for conveying Mangalore airport updates right from the first step of planning international flights till date, which he described it as a tremendous media coverage.A farewell programme was held for M R Vasudeva, director of Mangalore Airport, on Friday April 3, following his promotional transfer to Coimbatore.
The programme was organized by the staff of the Airport Authority of India (AAI) and held at the arrival hall of the airport. Besides AAI staff, association members and airways staff felicitated Vasudeva with garlands and mementos.
Addressing the function, the new director of Mangalore airport, B R Sena said that Mangalore airport had grown to an international level due to the efforts of his predecessor.
“He faced the challenge of expansion by putting in all efforts to make the airport a sophisticated one”, said Sena. He wished Vasudeva the best in all his future endeavours. T K Thomas, DGM (ATC) said, “A leader like Vasudeva only can achieve such things like the expansion of a tiny airport to a large one”.
A K Khandewal, deputy commandant of CISF, said that Vasudeva’s achievements would stay here for ever irrespective of where he is transferred.
A K Kanrar of the AAI Employees’ Association also echoed these views.
Challam Prasad, Air India, and members from AAI employees’ union, taxi association union and others also spoke on the occasion.
Vasudeva said, “Developments in airports are done by teamwork. We did it by joining hands. Each and every staff member should be congratulated for the work done here.
Development was needed in this airport, be it expansion or the runways or the terminal building; every thing is done with support and co-operation. Hence, we have a state-of-the-art airport”.
Pradeep Kumar Kalkura, who was the chief guest, said that Vasudeva had achieved a lot for the airport during his tenure. “His friendly nature and pleasant words make him beloved to all. This quality of his was a part of his success”, said Kalkura also recognizing Vasudeva’s interest in activities like literature and other programmes.
A J K Radhakrishnan, DGM (Civil) welcomed all. AI employees’ union secretary Shivanna gave the vote of thanks and J C Manjunath was the compere.

Mangalore: Airports Authority of India Observes Foundation Day

2009-04-02T03:24:00.000-07:00

Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (SN/SP)
Mangalore, Apr 2: The Foundation Day of Airports Authority of India was observed at Bajpe Airport here on Wednesday April 1.
Speaking on the occasion, M R Vasudev, former director of Mangalore Airport, said that the airport has a very important role to play in the development of the district.
Mangalore Airport has now got the international status with its improved service and facilities. It will soon develop further, with the addition of additional new facilities. The challenges and problems during the developmental stage of any airport are common, but care should be taken to ensure that they are properly addressed, he advised.
"M R Vasudev's contribution in the development of the airport is praiseworthy and the person who takes charge of the responsibility of the airport has to carry his good work further,” said Srinivas Kamat, Kanara Chamber of Commerce vice president.
B R Sena, Mangalore Airport director, presided over the function and delivered the introductory speech.
Prem Prasad, deputy general manager, welcomed the gathering. G T Radhakrishnan proposed vote of thanks. Rajan Gopi compered the programme.

Riyadh - Dammam - Mangalore Direct Flight On the Cards

2009-03-25T03:29:00.000-07:00

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

2009-03-08T08:01:00.001-07:00

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.

Mumbai: Air India Express Bows to Dammam Demand - Direct Flight by March End

2009-02-24T01:39:00.000-08:00

Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai/Dubai
Mumbai / Dubai, Feb 24: Air India Express has finally decided to introduce direct flight from Dammam to Mangalore.

Capt PP Singh, COO of Air India Express in a communication to Rajesh Sequiera, coordinator of Karnataka NRE Forum informed that Air India Express has submitted the proposal with Airport Authority of India to fly at least thrice week on Trivendrum-Mangalore-Dammam and Dammam-Mangalore-Trivendrum route.

Though the exact date of commencing this service has not yet been announced, Capt PP Sigh has assured that maiden flight will fly by the end of March 2009.

Readers can recall that Capt PP Singh has express inability of Air India Express to fly from Saudi destinations owing to long flying hours. But the pressure from various groups and individuals has made AI Express to redesign their strategy.

Further details on this issue will be made available to the readers as soon as possible.

AIR INDIA Express COO Cap PP Singh Answers to the Open Letter

2009-02-09T18:43:00.000-08:00

by Walter Nandalike Daijiworld.com
Feb 8, 2009
Dear Readers, Cap P. P. Singh, Chief Operating Officer has kindly replied to our open letter dated Jan 20, 2009 on which we addressing various issues faced by the passengers travelling from and to the gulf destinations.
Though his reply does not fully satisfy us, we must appreciate his efforts to listen our problems and his assurances to solve them.
The good news is that , with immediate effect the fares have been modified and the current fare structure looks much more satisfactory when compared to the previous one.
There is at least about 15 -20% advantage on the revised fares ,specially during the peak season. Those who are booking tickets from Dubai to Mangalore for travel in June can avail the price range of AED 1500/- return including tax as against the earlier price of AED 2200/- of last December Season.
The disappointing news is that there is no immediate plan to start the Mangalore - Saudi Arabia destination flights due to technical reasons.
Cap P P Singh has assured us that he will personally supervise the problems addressed by us. Let us hope that his promise will get the money’s worth for Mangalore-bound passengers.
We reproduce Capt PP Singh’s reply herewith.

Date: 06.02.2009
Dear Sir,
At the outset allow us to extend our sincere thanks to the Mangalorean Community for welcoming our airline with open arms and making our flights a huge success. In a short span two-and-a-half years the number of flights per week from Managlore to Gulf have increased from 3 to 18 . Thank you too for your interest and feedback as these serve as a constant guide to us and encourage us to improve our services and satisfy our loyal customers.
Our comments to the complaints are as under:
Our fares, like most other low cost airlines are dynamic, the general trend being that the fares are higher as the number of bookings increases and we move closer to departure date. Even for peak seasons of July, August, December etc, the fares begin at reasonable levels. It is only closer to departure and for the last few seats that the fares are raised to higher levels.
As these attractive fares are the introductory fares offered on first-come-first-serve basis, we urge you to book well in advance and be a little flexible with respect to the dates so as to get the best deal for your trip. It is only when the bookings are made at the last minute for a flight where only 5-10 seats are available, that the passenger ends up paying a premium amount. Our flights for July-August 2009 are already available for sale and you can see the changes in the fares, and we encourage you to take advantage of low fares which are almost at the same level as Calicut.
I am sorry to learn that our ground staff and cabin crew are not behaving in a manner satisfactory to our esteemed customers. You can rest assured that I will personally look into this issue and corrective steps will be taken to ensure that the staff is well-trained, helpful and committed to make your journey more comfortable, both on ground and in the air.
Baggage allowance, unfortunately, has to stay limited because of engineering and operational reasons. The concept of low cost airline, coupled with payload restrictions of the aircraft does not permit us to allow more baggage or waive off excess baggage. This, I may say, is the policy with most airlines across the world û be it low cost carrier or legacy carrier.
Regarding the Ground Handling at Mangalore, we are informing our Manager to talk to the Handling Agent to ensure that satisfactory service is provided. I am sure that you will see the change in the near future.
As you are aware that right from the beginning, we provide complimentary snack box to the passengers. We do not think that it is a good idea to sell food on board. This has been our Company policy. At the request of some passengers, we have introduced hot meal on our flights from Mangalore. I will talk with the Manager once again to talk to the caterers and if hot meal is not appreciated, than we will revert to snack box to be on both the sectors i.e to and from Mangalore. AI Express is not considering operations to Saudi Arabia primarily because of the length of the flight as we have B737-800 aircraft and payload penalty to operate on this long sector will result in flights being uneconomical. However, the Community in Dammam is served on the flights from Bahrain.
Thanking you once again for having given valuable suggestions.
Cap P. P. Singh
Chief Operating Officer

An Open Letter to Air India Express

2009-01-20T08:39:00.000-08:00

An Open Letter to Air India Express
by Walter Nandalike
Jan 20, 2009
Dear readers, In the last few days daijiworld.com has received several letters of complaint against the services of Air India Express which operates direct return flights from Mangalore to the gulf countries. Many of the letters contained harsh comments. Few of them were published, but most others could not be published. Taking the matter seriously, Daijiworld Media Network Team interviewed about 125 passengers who arrived at Mangalore between December 20, 2008 and Jan 10, 2009 from Dubai, Kuwait, Doha, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, and Muscat. Taking it as a social responsibility, Daijiworld.com has decided to address open letter to the Air India Express chief in Mumbai , expressing the grievances of passengers, with a hope that usual problems of passengers would be solved soon and it would also help Air India Express to serve in a better and professional way. This letter is written on the basis of the interviews from passengers and letters of complaint received from readers.

To, Capt P P Singh
Chief Operating Officer
Air India Express
Mumbai _ India
Subject: Inconvenience caused to AI Express passengers of Gulf destination flights from MANGALORE
Sir,
At the outset let us thank you for initiating direct flights from Mangalore to different destinations of the gulf region. Our joy knew no bounds when the first flight was announced by you. Our dream came true because of your initiative and support from Mangalore Airport management, and other respected leaders. But, ever since direct flight operations began, the complains from passengers steadily started to flow in. A few of our concerns were solved at the local level, but following are the problems that could not be addressed or entertained at local level. Hence it is our desire to bring them to your notice:
1. The fare fixed for Mangalore to Gulf destinations is not in line with the ‘Budget Airline' concept. There is an accusation from a large number of passengers that, service quality may be matching with your Budget Airline Concept, but fares certainly do not. It has been observed that fares during the peak seasons of July, August, Christmas, and New Year Season is far higher than normal conventional airlines. To quote you one example, a passenger from Dubai, during December, paid Rs 35,000 for a Dubai - Mangalore return ticket But an Emirates airline ticket to Mumbai with a connection to Mangalore with Jet Airways would have cost lesser than the direct option. Besides the fare, the same passenger further ended-up paying another few thousand rupees on excess baggage as Air India Express allows only 20 kg luggage from out of Mangalore.
There are several readers / passengers who have observed that Air India Express fares to other destinations like Calicut, Cochin and other sectors are much more competitive. Is this because those destinations have other carriers operating there as well? Do we need to wait until other airlines start their operations to Mangalore? Kindly look into this issue before Mangalore-bound passengers unitedly decide to opt for alternate cheaper options. Monopoly is not a justification to charge passengers exorbitantly. We have always regarded and respected our national carrier and we hope Air India Express reciprocates this sentiment by first reducing the fares to an affordable level...
2. When passengers raised their concern on the permitted baggage allowance (20 kg from Mangalore airport to the Gulf, and 30kg from Gulf destinations to Mangalore) officials always give the excuse that, 'Budget Airlines can allow only limited luggage unlike regular airlines’. Does this apply only for Luggage? Why not for fares then? There are several instances where even ONE kilo of excess luggage was not spared and charged Rs 400/- .
Is there no tolerance even for a single kilo when the fares paid are high? The passengers have requested with your airline that you allow at least 30Kilos from Mangalore to Gulf destinations and 40 Kilos from Gulf to Mangalore. If this is not possible due to logistic reasons, then kindly reduce the fares substantially in order to be in par with other budget airlines.
3. About 80% of the passengers interviewed by daijiworld felt that the counter staff at Mangalore Airport are not trained enough, lack professionalism and are wanting in customer friendly attitude. There is no smile on the face, non courteous and lack knowledge in handling international passengers and processing time takes much longer when compared to other international airports. This is a serious issue which might affect the integrity and status of Mangalore International Airport. The official uniform of the counter staff does not rise up to normal airline standards as it is inconsistent and varies from person to person. The same passengers are soaked into seeing well dressed staff of Jet Airways and Kingfisher airlines. We urge you sir, to use your good offices and find out the reason for this poor performance from a presumably untrained staff of Air India Express Mangalore airport.
4. You had announced the catering of a Mangalorean cuisine for the flights leaving late evening from Mangalore. Complains have poured in regarding the food quality on board. We understand that many Budget airlines do not server food on the flight. Instead they sell food on board. If you are not able to manage quality food to the passengers, perhaps selling quality food may also be an excellent idea. This should be food for thought for Air India Express.
5. The general behavior of the airhostesses on board is also questioned. They too lack a smile and give an impression that they are not trained. A large majority of the passengers feel that lack of training and lack of well deserved candidates may be the reason for this slide in service level. There is also a big concern among a few passengers that ALL Airhostesses are from North Indian and they do have a cold blanket attitude towards south Indian passengers. There is nothing like flying with someone who knows our language and understands our ethnic sentiments.
6. We also request you on behalf of thousands of Mangaloreans in Saudi Arabia to update us on the latest status of direct flight from Saudi Arabian destinations to Mangalore.
Although there are many more concerns expressed by the passengers we thought it right to highlight only a few major ones. We trust your judgment and believe in your leadership. We have enjoyed your support when we wanted additional flights or facilities. It is possible that you are unaware of these issues and hence this open letter to you. Your timely action will certainly go a long way in helping thousands of passengers who travel on AI Express and also could give room for improvement to AI Express. This will also be an opportunity for Air India Express to grab the reins and be prepared when the airport becomes fully operational at the new terminal. Thanking you in advance for your consideration and listening to our problems On behalf of all our readers and Mangalore-bound passengers,
Yours faithfully
Walter Nandalike
Editor-in Chief - Daijiworld.com
Managing Director - Daijiworld Media Pvt Ltd

Air India Express launches night flights to Dubai

2009-01-13T03:52:00.000-08:00

The Hindu Staff Correspondent
Number of flights to Dubai rises to 10 a week
Additional flight to Kuwait planned from January 20
Reduction in fares proposed for high-end flight services
MANGALORE: Air India Express launched daily night-flight services between Dubai and Mangalore from Monday. With this, the number of its flights to Dubai has gone up from seven to 10 a week.
The flight to Dubai from Mangalore airport took off at 9.30 p.m. with 186 passengers on board. “The flight was full,” Station Manager of Air India, Mangalore, Chellam Prasad told The Hindu.
She said that the airline had reduced the daily day-flight services between the two cities to three days a week. Now the day flights would operate on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
“Daily night-flight services have been introduced for the convenience of passengers as per their demand,” she said.
Ms. Prasad said that the daily night flight (flight number IX-811) would depart from here at 9.30 p.m. and reach Dubai at 23.40 hrs (Dubai local time). On its return journey, flight number IX-812 would depart from Dubai at 01.35 hrs (Dubai local time) and arrive here at 6.30 a.m.
The day flight (number IX-383) would originate at Kozhikode at 7.15 a.m. and arrive in Mangalore at 8 a.m. It would leave Mangalore at 9 a.m. and reach Dubai at 11.10 hrs (Dubai local time). The flight (IX-384) would depart from Dubai at 12.10 hrs (local time) and arrive here at 5.05 p.m. It would take off from Mangalore at 5.50 p.m. and reach Kozhikode at 6.35 p.m., she said.
Additional flight
Ms. Prasad said that that the airline would be introducing a flight to Kuwait from here on Tuesdays from January 20, in addition to the existing two flights to that place, which operate on Sundays and Thursdays.
This flight (IX-389) would originate at Kozhikode at 7.20 p.m. and arrive here at 8 p.m. and depart to Kuwait at 8.45 p.m. to reach there at 23.15 hrs (Kuwait local time). The return flight (IX-390) would depart Kuwait at 00.30 hrs (Kuwait local time) and arrive in Mangalore at 7.25 a.m. It would depart from here at 8.10 a.m. and reach Kozhikode at 8.50 a.m.
She said that the airline had suspended its operation to Sharjah early in December last owing to “operational problems”. Earlier, the flight from here to Kuwait was via Sharjah. Henceforth, it would be flying directly between Mangalore and Kuwait, she said.Change in schedules
Ms. Prasad said that Air India Express would change the schedules of flights from here to Bahrain and Doha from January 13.
The flights to these two cities would be rescheduled to Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, instead of the present Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Reduction in fare
To a question, she said that the airline proposed to reduce air fare by this month-end. The fares to some sectors were likely to come down by Rs. 2,000. However, the minimum fares would not be reduced. The reduction in fares would be limited to high-end flights, she said.

Mangalore: Transfer of Airport Director - Long Delay in New Terminal Imminent

2009-01-11T03:45:00.000-08:00

Daijiworld Media Network - Pics Prajwal Ukkuda
January 11, 2009
Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel has assured the NRI community that he would do his best to retain Mangalore Airport Director Vasudeva Rao till the completion of the new terminal building which is on the verge of completion.
Patel who was on his way to Mumbai from Kerala on a private visit the leaders of the NRI community at Mangalore airport was apprised of the delay that might be caused in completing the terminal project if Rao was to be transferred at this critical juncture. Though it was a private visit Patel willingly met the leaders of the NRI community leaders. Walter Nandalike, Editor-in-Chief of daijiworld.com, met the minister on behalf of the Indian Diaspora and appealed to the Minister to promote and retain Vasudeva in Mangalore as long as possible or at least till the new terminal is commissioned.
Patel accepted the appeal and assured him that he would look into the matter and discuss with the officials concerned on what best he can do to retain Vasudeva in Mangalore. It may be recalled here that Vasudeva was promoted as Airport General Manager and was transferred to Coimbotore. The airport terminal has been his brainchild and he has worked ceaselessly to ensure the Rs 147 crores project is getting completed as scheduled. Due to pressure from various people and organizations, Rao postponed his transfer foregoing the promotion and the monetary benefits that come along with it.
As his replacement to Mangalore Airport was not named Vasudeva Rao chose to continue in Mangalore in the same capacity sacrificing the higher post and the financial benefits and perks that come with it. The new terminal was his baby and he has put his heart and soul in the project. He willingly postponed the promotion just to ensure the supervision of the project and its timely commissioning.
However a stage has come where any further delay by him to accept the promotion would seriously jeopardize his future promotion prospects and also the post-retirement benefits. He may be denied his promotion and with that the status and salary due to an Airport General Manager may also be denied.
The major hitch is that Mangalore is not declared as an International Airport and hence there is no post of Airport General Manager in Mangalore to promote and retain Rao in Mangalore.
Considering his supreme sacrifice to his homeland and his determination to complete the project as scheduled efforts have been made from time to time to put pressure on the government and the authorities concerned on the usefulness of retaining Vasudeva in Mangalore.
Earlier Sudhir Kumar Shetty, COO of UAE Exchange had tried to create awareness among various organizations in the UAE and impressed upon the NRI community leaders to try every possible means of retaining Vasudeva in Mangalore to ensure the progress of Mangalore Airport. Shetty had two-hour long discussion with Rao during his recent visit to Mangalore.
Talking to Daiji World Shetty said “if at all Vasudeva Rao is retained in Mangalore it is only with due promotion and status of Airport General Manager. Rao should be rewarded suitable for his dedication and sincere efforts to take Mangalore to the status of international airport. Shetty gave a clarion call to the NRI community and organizations to unite and fight for this cause.
Karnataka NRI forum coordinator from UAE Rajesh Sequeira has already sent an appeal to Praful Patel requesting him to promote and retain Rao in Mangalore. He also met various ministers and authorities in this regard and impressed upon them on the need to ensure his continuity.
Vasudeva Rao, who hails from Udupi, has been instrumental in ensuring the all-round development of Mangalore Airport. The new terminal project work took off to a flying start due to his consistent efforts. Being a local man he was able to reach out to the local people and take them into confidence and make suitable arrangements for this resettlement and rehabilitation in Kenjar Village, where the new terminal has come up. The central government was willing to start international flights from Mangalore only after the completion of the new terminal. Credit goes to Rao for his unrelenting efforts to have international flights in Mangalore at least a few years ahead.
Any new person coming in his place would take his own time to know and get into the ins and outs of the project, which would cause undue delay of another 8 to 12 months in the commissioning of the project. With general elections round the corner delay would lead to political interference in the project. Finally it is the people who will have to bear the brunt for the imprudence of the political leaders and the authorities concerned.
Even as efforts are on to retain him in Mangalore Vasudeva has decided to move to Coimbotore on January 19, 2009. “I am happy that I could do whatever little I could in the past few years to the growth of Mangalore Airport. It was my dream to complete the terminal project and move. But I have to obey the orders of my seniors. I have postponed my transfer bowing down to the pressures of people and organizations. This has affected my career. But I am happy that I could do something worthwhile for my homeland”, he says modestly.
Mangalore’s loss could be Coimbotore’s gain. But who knows. Things might take a different turn any time. With the active support and co-operation of the people of this coastal region and with the back up of the entire NRI community, the long-standing dream of seeing Mangalore International Airport with Rao at the helm, may just become a reality.

Aircraft movement goes up by 37 per cent in 2008

2009-01-11T03:29:00.000-08:00

Raviprasad Kamila The Hindu

Passenger traffic at Bajpe airport rises by 7.6 pc
The year witnessed an increase in air fares owing to revision in fuel prices
Air India Express introduced flight services to Sharjah, Kuwait last year
MANGALORE: The passenger traffic at Mangalore airport registered a 7.6 per cent increase in 2008. Aircraft movements went up by 37 per cent in the year, compared to 2007.
This was despite the factors such as rise in airfares, global meltdown, and inconvenience to passengers travelling to Bangalore caused by the shifting of domestic aircraft operations from HAL airport to the distant Devanahalli airport in Bangalore in 2008. Director of the airport M.R. Vasudeva told The Hindu that international passenger traffic registered 34.78 per cent increase and the international aircraft movements, including arrival and departure, went up by 117 per cent. Domestic passenger traffic went up by 0.74 per cent, while the domestic flight movement registered 25.7 per cent growth, he said.
Both international passenger traffic and international flight movements increased as the Air India Express began operating flight services to Sharjah and Kuwait from Mangalore. The number of West Asian cities having air-connectivity to Mangalore went up from five to seven. The other West Asian cities having flight connectivity from here were Dubai, Abudhabi, Bahrain, Doha and Muscat spread across five West Asian countries, the director said.Domestic traffic
The reason for a paltry 0.74 per cent rise in domestic passenger traffic was attributed to suspension of Jet Airways daily flights from here to Bangalore for 30 days in November last. Pramod Nair, Mangalore station manager, Jet Airways, said that the airliner had suspended its daily morning flight and daily evening flight to Bangalore from November 1 to 30, resulting in a loss of 60 aircraft movements.
Sources in the airport said that domestic traffic fell from 50,345 passengers in November, 2007 to 48,301 passengers in the corresponding month of 2008 as there was a reduction in the daily flights to Bangalore. In December, the domestic passenger traffic increased from 52,977 in 2007 to 62,865 in 2008.
Airliners had increased fares to Bangalore and Mumbai last year owing to rise in aviation fuel prices. This was one of the major reasons for the least increase in domestic passenger traffic, sources said.

Air India Express Revises Dubai - Mangalore Flights to 10 per Week

2009-01-08T23:21:00.000-08:00

Air India Express Revises Dubai - Mangalore Flights to 10 per Week
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (SP) Mangalore, Jan 8: As the additional flights between Dubai and Mangalore have been finalized and approved, Air India Express will fly 10 flights per week from Jan 12, 2009 between the two cities.
Earlier, the AI Express had announced that two flights daily from Dubai and Mangalore would be operated, subject to final approval from AAI, but it is learnt, that the Airports Authority of India has allowed only three additional flights per week in this sector.
The complete schedule is now available on the Air India Express website: http://www.airindiaexpress.in/

Chellam Prasad, Manager for Air India, Mangalore sector while releasing this news to daijiworld said, that after assessing the actual demand for additional flights in course of time, AI Express may request for further increase in the flight frequency in the coming days on this route.
Chellam Prasad also disclosed that AI Express will serve Mangalorean cuisine on board for the passengers travelling from Mangalore to Dubai and Kuwait from Jan 12, 2009. This facility is offered currently only for two sectors due to the night journey, and this service is available for only the flight taking off from Mangalore. Due to logistic reasons, this food can not be served from the flights that originate from the gulf destinations.
So far, AI Express has been serving snacks and chips along with tea, coffee and soft drinks, but now there will be light dinner meal which will have Mangalorean taste (Pulav rice, lemon rice, curry, pickle, salad etc).
The daily flight from Dubai to Mangalore will take off early morning at 01.05 am from Dubai and land in Mangalore at 6.00 am. Additional flight will take off from Dubai at 12.10 noon and land in Mangalore at 17.05 hrs. This additional flight will operate only on Wedensday, Thursday and Friday.
However, daily flights will take off from Mangalore to Dubai at 9.30 pm and reach Dubai at 23.40 hrs local time.
Additional flight will take off from Mangalore to Dubai at 9.00 am and reach Dubai at 11.10 am local time.
Nagesh Shetty and Sanjay
Nagesh Shetty, area Marketing Mangaer for Air India and Sanjay Lokeshwar, asst Officer, Air India were also present during the briefing of the developments to daijiworld.
When asked about flights to Saudi Arabian destinations, Chellam Prasad said, that as yet, there has not been any confirmation from the head office , but she is optimistic about starting the flight between Mangalore and Saudi Arabian destinations soon.

Mangalore Airport New Terminal - Racing Against Time

2009-01-03T22:30:00.000-08:00

Mangalore Airport New Terminal - Racing Against Time
by Florine Roche - Mangalore

As we are in first week of new year, a kind of euphoria and despair among all those who have been anxiously looking forward to the commissioning new Integrated Terminal Building of Mangalore Airport। 70% of the civil work at the terminal is complete and the authorities are waiting for the systems and vital components to arrive from different continents and countries so that they can be fitted into their respective places to commission the project by the stipulated date March 15, 2009।

The despair stems from the fact that the dynamic director of the Mangalore Airport M R Vasudeva has been promoted and transferred at a time when his continuance as the Airport Director is crucial for the very commissioning of the integrated terminal building. A change of guard at the helm at a critical juncture like this is like a death blow to all those who are aware of the involvement of Vasudeva in the transformation of this just functional airport into that of handling the arrival and departure of international flights. Credit certainly goes to this easily accessible, workaholic, dynamic man at the top, under whose stewardship developmental activities at the airport received a new momentum.
His promotion transfer to Coimbotore is detrimental to the commissioning of the new terminal building when it is almost on the verge of completion. Though the terminal building might be completed by the stipulated time there is definitely going to be an inordinate delay in commissioning it with a new man at the top. Mr Vasudeva has evinced personal interest to ensure timely completion of the project and infusing his staff with a new force and vigor. Though the new of his promotion transfer was known a few months back he was asked to continue till the project is completed. However, uncertainty is the order of the day and it is believed that he might be transferred any time, probably by the end of this month.
Realizing the significance of his continuing in Mangalore to ensure the completion of the project well begun by him, the Karnataka NRI Forum Dubai has urged Union Minister Sri Oscar Fernandes to do the needful in the matter. The only hitch is that Mangalore Airport needs to be upgraded to facilitate his promotion in Mangalore. By not resuming his new promotional posting Mr Vasudeva has denied himself the financial benefits that come along with the promotion.
Rajesh Sequeira , Co-ordinator of the NRI Forum who has closely monitored the goings on at the Mangalore Airport says “The new integrated terminal building is a baby of Mr Vasudeva who was intently involved in the project from the beginning. His departure at this crucial stage would hamper the progress of the new terminal. But we do not want him to forego the financial benefits for our sake. The problem can be settled by allowing him to accept his promotion at Coimbotore and send him on deputation to Mangalore to oversee the completion of the project”.
Rajesh has also impressed upon the Minister to declare Mangalore Airport as an International Airport. “Tirupathi, which hardly boasts of any facilities that Mangalore Airport has, has been declared as an international airport just a few months back. There is no reason why Mangalore should not be given that status immediately”, he points out.
It can be said that developmental activities at Mangalore Airport gained momentum after Mr Vasudeva assumed charge as Director in 2004. His first and major contribution was completion of the 2.9 km runway for the new terminal which led to the handling of international flights, thus fulfilling the long-awaited dream of NRI’s. The terminal built at a cost of 147 crores has competed 70% of the civil and electrical and work. Mangalore Airport has been in the news recently for reporting highest growth in South India and it is expected that commissioning of the new terminal building and according International Airport status will further accelerate this growth.
The work on the approach roads both entry and exit to the new terminal is going on in a war footing. Work on the 900 meter entry road from Deccan Park area has just begun while the work on the 1100 meter exit road adjacent to Sri Devi College is moving on at rapid strides. The road is elevated to about 6 meters and Karnataka Government has agreed to provide the road in a fit and functional condition. “The gradient level of the entry road is about 8 to 10 percent and we have requested the government to try to make it 10 to 12 percent”, says Vasudeva. When asked whether the road will be ready by the time the terminal is ready for commissioning Mr Vasudeva said “both of us are racing against time”.
The work on the 600metre long parallel taxiway is also going on briskly. Mr Vasudeva has taken the people into confidence and successfully convinced the villagers to handover 56.46 acres of land required for the parallel taxiway. “People have willingly come forward and given the land. Though officially the land is not handed over to the government the process will be completed in due course”, Vasudeva added.
Parallel Taxiway is necessitated so that the runway is vacated to make way for the operations of other aircrafts easier. If there is only one taxiway the aircraft has to be vacated from the runway to make way for the other. This is possible only when there is a parallel taxiway.
Though recession has affected the aviation industry in general Mangalore Airport has witnessed a slight reduction only in domestic flights especially between Mangalore-Bangalore. M R Vasudeva says “The situation will come to normalcy within a few months. The new terminal will give necessary impetus to traffic movement both domestic and international”.
The ever enthusiastic Vasudeva brushes aside all the controversies surrounding his transfer. “I term it as a divine gift if I happen to be here for commissioning the project. If I am transferred I consider it as god’s will. But I am happy to be involved to see the project completed”, he declares.
Vasudeva has been instrumental in taking the work force into confidence by instilling a sense of dynamism in getting the work done at the terminal building on a war footing. With his background in Air Terminal Control (ATC), he is in a better position to understand the entire functioning of the airport, which has given him the necessary edge. No one can hoodwink him by false claims or offer excuses on technical grounds. A new man in his place will take his own sweet time to get acquainted with the project and oversea its implementation. That would entail unnecessary delay in the commissioning of the project. Let us hope the commissioning of the much awaited new Integrated Terminal Building will succeed in providing international airport status to Mangalore Airport.

Air India Express Announces New Flight Timings for Dubai - Mangalore Sector

2008-12-10T05:36:00.000-08:00

Daijiworld Media Network
Mangalore, Dec 10: As announced on daijiworld.com last month, the flight timings of Dubai - Mangalore route have been changed effective January 12, 2009Air India Express, in an official communiqué to daijiworld.com informed that as per the new schedule the flight from Dubai will now leave at 1.05am UAE time and reach Mangalore airport around 6.00 am IST.
The flight from Mangalore will depart at 9.30 pm and is expected to arrive at Dubai airport around 11.30 pm.
New timings will come as a boost to the business community as the entire day at both the destinations can be fully utilized for business or leisure purposes.
Similarly, as announced on daijiworld.com recently with effect from Jan 8, 2009 Kuwait will have a direct flight departing Mangalore 08.45pm and arrival Kuwait at 11.15pm
Departure from Kuwait is at 00.30 am and Arrival at Mangalore 07.30am
Mangalore - Sharjah flight will be delinked due to direct flight operations with effect from Jan 8, 2009

Air India Express Plans Kuwait - Mangalore Non-stop Flights

2008-11-24T08:15:00.000-08:00

Air India Express Plans Kuwait - Mangalore Non-stop Flights
Media Release

Kuwait, Nov 24: Four months after the successful operation of Kuwait - Mangalore direct flight via Sharjah, Air India Express is now planning a non-stop flight from Kuwait to Mangalore.
Pascal Pinto, who was one of the persons behind the effort , told that Air India Express is seriously planning on this , but no final confirmation has yet been received.
"If all goes well, we will have non-stop flights to Mangalore from the first week of January 2009" he said
Earlier, on Thursday, Nov 20, 2008 The Kuwait Konkans on behalf of the Mangalorean community in Kuwait held a special event to felicitate Country manager Air India Kuwait Krishen .C. Bhar and presented a memento as token of appreciation for starting direct flight to Mangalore from Kuwait.
Their long awaited dream turned into reality on 17th of July 2008 when the first flight took off from Kuwait International Airport for Bajpe international airport Mangalore
The Manglorean community comprises luminaries like Lawrence D'souza managing director of Caesars Group, Pascal B. Pinto social worker and considered a strong pillar of the Mangalorean Community in Kuwait , Archie Menezes, Adrian Gomes and many other prominent People from Karnataka
Speaking at the occasion, Pascal Pinto appreciated the efforts of Air India and its dedicated staff who are always eager to assist and help the community at all time. Pinto thanked the Air India Manager and all those involved in putting Mangalore destination on the radar of Air India Express.
Pascal also suggested that renewed efforts must be initiated to make journey pleasant like in-flight service, improvement in the field of food, crew to be well polished and be polite to the passengers.
The community also asked the Air India management to curtail fare as they are sky rocketing. The manager acknowledged and assured Pinto that his views were noted and prompt action would be taken to improve and implement them.
Also speaking at the event Lawrence D'souza in his short speech thanked Air India Manager and the staff for their generosity, support and co-operation extended to them always.
K.C.Bhar Air India Manager, thanked the community and expressed happiness that the relations between the community and the airlines were friendly. He said it was a great achievement for the airline and the community to live in harmony.
Bhar disclosed that Air India Express will fly direct flights to Mangalore from Kuwait without breaking the journey in Sharjah. The disclosure brought surprise waves among the community and their excitement had no boundaries.
Bhar assured the community that the Airlines will work closely with the community and look after their problem. As the community looks forward for the first direct flight to take off from Kuwait to Mangalore in January, the Airline is already taking full load as the Christmas season is around the corner.
Also see:

Mangalore: Bajpe Airport Authority Seeks Possession of ZP Roads

2008-11-07T21:33:00.000-08:00

Daijiworld Media Network—Mangalore (RD/CN)
Mangalore, Nov 7: M R Vasudev, director, Airport Authority of India (AAI), Mangalore, has urged Shobha Karandlaje, state minister of rural development and Panchayat Raj, to hand over to AAI the possession of zilla panchayat (ZP) roads at the existing main entrance of the airport and upcoming international terminal at Deccan Park, Kenjar, Malavoor village. The minister has directed the concerned officials to expedite the procedures involved in this. AAI proposes to develop the infrastructure so as to connect the existing terminal and the international terminal before the official commissioning of the latter in March 2009. .

Mangalore: Flights to Bangalore Reduced to Three

2008-10-29T06:59:00.000-07:00

Raviprasad Kamila/The Hindu
Fewer people are opting for flights
The move is stated to be temporary
Services to be restored from November 16
Mangalore, Oct 29: The number of daily flights between Mangalore and Bangalore has come down by 50 per cent in the past ten days. It appears to be the result of the proposed alliance between Kingfisher Airlines and Jet Airways.
The two airline companies were operating six daily flights from Mangalore to Bangalore.
The number has now been reduced to three flights a day. According to a Jet Airways official, it will replace its larger aircraft operating between the two cities with smaller ones by November 16.
M.R. Vasudeva, director, Mangalore Airport, the Airports Authority of India (AAI), told The Hindu that Kingfisher Airlines had withdrawn two flights while Jet Airways had withdrawn one. The Kingfisher Airlines had withdrawn the flights departing at 10.20 a.m. and 9.30 p.m. from here to Bangalore. Jet Airways had withdrawn its flight departing to Bangalore at 7.40 p.m.

"Temporary"
However, Pramod Nair, station manager, Jet Airways, Mangalore Airport, is understood to have informed the AAI that the withdrawal of its evening flight was for a short period between October 20 and October 31 due to commercial reasons.
He told The Hindu that the company had temporarily suspended its evening Boeing 737 flight. “It will remain suspended till November 15 and not till October 31 as planned earlier. It will be re-introduced from November 16. However, the Boeing 737 will be replaced with an ATR aircraft,” he said.

Existing flights
Mr. Vasudeva said that at present the airport was handling three flights between the two cities.
Of them, Kingfisher Airlines was operating two and Jet Airways one. The first flight of Kingfisher Airlines arrived here at 8.30 a.m. and departed at 9 a.m. The Jet Airways flight arrived at 9.05 a.m. and departed at 9.40 a.m. The last flight of Kingfisher Airlines arrived at 6.30 p.m. and departed at 7 p.m.
Mr. Nair said that Jet Airways would suspend its morning flight, also a Boeing 737, from November 1 to November 15. “We will re-introduce the service from November 16 with an ATR aircraft,” he said. Hence Jet Airways will operate only one ATR aircraft between the two cities.

Load factor
He said that Jet Airways was shifting to smaller aircraft considering the load and better yield factors. The passenger traffic between the two cities had declined this year, he said.
Mr. Vasudeva said that the four flights between Mumbai and Mangalore had not been disturbed.
The director said that Air India Express, which operates flights to five West Asian countries from here, had proposed to change the schedules of some of its services for the winter season. It had not said anything about reducing the number of its flights, he said. Sources in the airport said that the air fare between Mangalore and Bangalore had gone up recently. The operators were charging Rs. 8,000, and sometimes more, as one-way fare. There was a concession for tickets booked in advance, though, the sources said.

Terminal building likely to be ready by March

2008-09-28T06:58:00.000-07:00

Staff Correspondent The Hindu

65 per cent of construction work is said to have been completed

MANGALORE: The construction of the new integrated terminal building at Mangalore Airport may be completed by March next, according to Oscar Fernandes, Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment.
Speaking to presspersons after inspecting the project site at Kenjar near the airport, he said 65 per cent of the work had been completed. It was scheduled for completion by March, 2009. The officials at the airport were hopeful of completing the work ahead of schedule, he said.
Mr. Fernandes said that if Mangalore airport was to be declared an international airport, it had to meet certain requirements for it. The terminal building taken up by the Union Government was part of those requirements, he said.
On the transfer of M.R. Vasudeva from Mangalore airport to Coimbatore airport on promotion as a director, at a juncture when the construction work was half way through, the Minister said: “He has been promoted based on seniority. His contribution to Mangalore airport has been identified.”
Asked if the director would be retained here till the terminal building was completed and commissioned, Mr. Fernandes said it was an administrative matter. “I have spoken to people concerned. Let us see how it works,” he said.

Mangalore Airport Director Promoted as GM of Coimbatore Airport

2008-09-27T06:52:00.000-07:00

Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (SP)

Mangalore, Sep 27: Though it is a perfect tribute to a man who is largely responsbile for upgrading the Mangalore airport to international level and putting in mammoth efforts for the setting up of the up-coming new airport terminal, it is a matter of disappointment for all the fans of M R Vasudeva, to know that they will be missing his services.
Daijiworld had earlier learnt, that he had been promoted as general manager and posted to Coimbatore international airport, and today, union minister Oscar Fernandes admitted at a press conference, that the airport director M R Vasudev has been transferred, just when the expansion project of the airport is on the verge of completion. He also added, that it was a promotion Vasudev richly deserved for his contribution to the development of this airport. He can be brought back at Mangalore airport once it is declared as an international airport, he explained.
Karnataka NRI forum, headed and founded by Rajesh Sequeira in Dubai, has arleady requested the Airports Authority of India to retain him in Mangalore airport in the promoted status, at least until the new terminal work is completed.
Terminal Will be Ready Soon: Oscar Fernandes
Oscar Fernandes, union minister for labour and employment, said that the new terminal building at the Mangalore airport will be ready soon, as the work pertaining to the foundation has already been completed.
Addressing the media after inspecting the ongoing work on Saturday September 27, Fernandes said, the airport would be declared international, as soon as the work is completed. He added, that 65 per cent of the work has been completed as of now and the remaining 35 per cent would be completed within a few days.
Expressing satisfaction at the progress of the work, Fernandes said, "I am very happy to watch the brisk progress of the work. The work will have to be speeded up further, for the early completion of the project. I thank the NRIs and even localites for showing an interest in having a new terminal for the Mangalore airport".

Appeal to Minister to let Director of Mangalore airport continue

2008-09-25T05:09:00.000-07:00

Staff Correspondent The Hindu
MANGALORE: Karnataka NRI Forum, United Arab Emirates, has appealed to Praful Patel, Minister of State for Civil Aviation, to let M.R. Vasudeva, Director of Mangalore airport, continue in the post here till the new integrated terminal building which is under construction is commissioned.
It has requested the Minister not to transfer Mr. Vasudeva as Director of Coimbatore Airport till then.Letter
In a letter to the Minister on September 23, a copy of which was released to the press, Rajesh Sequeira, coordinator of the forum, said: “…The news of him being transferred in the midst of a very strategic project is disheartening…”
“As the project is nearing completion and Mr. Vasudeva has been an integral part of it right from the start, it would be better if he is retained in Mangalore till the new integrated terminal is commissioned,” it said.

Mangalore: Airport Affected People Take Out Protest March

2008-09-10T09:01:00.000-07:00

Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (SP)
Mangalore, Sep 10: Villagers of Malavoor, Kenjar and Adyapady took out a huge protest march on Monday September 8, protesting against the failure of the concerned in not properly re-habilitating them, after taking over their lands for the airport expansion.
The protest was led by the Dakshina Kannada District Dalit Sangharsh Samiti(DSS). The protestors came walking in a procession from Muranagar Junction and held a protest meeting at the airport gate.
The protestors said, that the district administration, central government, state government and the Airports Authority of India who took over their lands for upgrading the airport to the international standards, have forgotten about their sacrifice. These people are living under inhuman conditions now. They were paid only Rs 250 per cent of land, they said. The concerned including the deputy commissioner have been doling out promises of meeting our demands, since the last six to seven years. None of the promises have been fulfilled, they rued.
DSS state secretary M Devadas, district convenor Sundar Salian, stany Rodrigues etc., addressed the protestors, who numbered around 250.

From a scrubby airstrip to an international airport

2008-09-10T08:59:00.000-07:00

Sudipto Mondal The Hindu

‘Years ago, it was only a clearing amidst palm trees’
The infrastructure development has kept pace with airline revolution, says a traveller
According to a businessman, its contribution to city’s economy is enormous
MANGALORE: Eulalia D’Souza (45) knows the Mangalore Airport since the time it was a scrubby airstrip. She has witnessed its growth into an “airfield” and then into a full-fledged airport from the time she was just a little girl waving excitedly at the occasional planes that landed there to an independent career woman, who flies as frequently by the aeroplanes as she undertakes shopping.
Ms. D’Souza, who is now the chairperson of the Tourism Sub-Committee (Airlines) of the Kanara Chambers of Commerce and Industry, has managed to preserve vivid memories of how the airport was like and its metamorphosis into its present status of an airport. “As a child I used to often accompany the elders to see off or receive a relative at the airport. In those days, it was nothing more than a clearing in the palm trees,” she said. Early days
According to her, there was nothing to deter people from walking onto the tarmac apart from the fear of being run down by a plane. “There was no wall and not a barricade either,” she said. Apart from a sleepy guard, who would occasionally shoo away children and animals straying on the tarmac, the place was a “yes thoroughfare”. “Those were the days when it was called the table-top airport.” Change
But times have changed and the airport is now being seen as a symbol of the region’s coming of age. “The growth of the airport has mirrored the economic growth of the region and its people,” said General Manager of Corporation Bank B.R. Bhat. More Mangaloreans have taken off in the last decade than ever before.
“But what is significant is the number of people that have flown into the city, bringing along with them, business opportunity and prosperity,” he said.
According to Mr. Bhat, the infrastructure at the airport has kept pace with the airline revolution of the last decade. “In the end, it benefited not only fliers but also the local economy,” he said. Economic advantage
Mohammed Eshaque, proprietor of “Bamson”, a tourism company that owns 12 cabs, said: “Ten years ago, we started with one car and today we have a fleet of 12 besides another 12 cars attached to us. If it were not for the airport, this would never have happened.”
According to Mr. Mohammed, the largest chunk of his business comes from the corporate sector. “In a day, we make at least 20 trips to the airport and back.
While we get several long distance trips too, travelling to the airport is the staple source of revenue,” he said. Carlton Misquith (25), a non-resident Indian, who has been flying into the city since his childhood, however, counts on a few problems with the airport.
“I know it is unfair to compare it to Heathrow or even the Delhi airport, but the infrastructure can be much better,” he said through an e-mail. According to him, the passenger waiting area, hospitality and the appearance of the airport, needed to be improved. Picturesque
However, he feels that the Mangalore Airport is one of the most picturesque in the world.
“One look at the airport after you are airborne makes you forget all the problems you face when you are down there,” he said.

AAI to extend new runway at Bajpe

2008-09-10T08:54:00.000-07:00

Raviprasad Kamila The Hindu

It will help in handling operations of larger aircraft at the airport
Bajpe airport now handles aircraft with a seating capacity of 186
Concrete runway will be extended to a length of 2. 8 km
MANGALORE: Mangalore Airport is all set to prepare itself to receive larger aircraft by late next year. It will even be able to handle Boeing 747 with limited load.
The airport, which handles aircraft with seating capacity of 186 at present will be able to handle aircraft with 300 seats.
To facilitate this, the Airports Authority of India (AAI ) has allowed the airport to extend the length of the new concrete runway.
The airport at Bajpe has two runways.
The old bituminous (tar) runway having a length of 1.6 km and the new concrete runway with a length of 2.4 km.
Director of the airport M.R. Vasudeva told The Hindu that the AAI had approved the extension of the concrete runway by 350 metres. It will be extended on both the sides to take its length to 2.8 km. A tender would be called within a fortnight.Work
The work will begin in November or December and will be completed in 2009. After due inspection by the AAI authorities concerned and trial runs, larger aircraft will be allowed to land and take off from it.
By late next year, the extended portion of the runway could be put into use. He said that no private land need to be acquired to extend the runway. Mr. Vasudeva said that once the extended portion was ready, Boeing 767 aircraft can operate with full load. “Airbus 330 aircraft can also operate,” he said.
However, Boeing 747 can operate with a “restricted load” up to a maximum of 330 tonnes.
If it is to operate with its full loading capacity of 370 tonnes, the airport should have a runway of 3 km. Mr. Vasudeva said that presently aircraft such as Boeing 737-800, Airbus 321, Airbus 319 and Airbus 320 land at the airport.
He said that once the length of the runway was extended, airlines could operate larger aircraft having more seating capacity especially to West Asian countries.
The airport has flight service to five West Asian countries. Presently Air India Express, budget airlines of the Air India, operates all flights between Mangalore and West Asian airports.
Chellam Prasad, Station Manager, Air India, Mangalore airport, said that if the runway was extended, then Air India could examine operating larger aircraft to West Asian countries.
Pramod Nair, Station Manager, Jet Airways, Mangalore Airport, said that the total number of seats in Boeings 767 and 747 and Airbus varied depending on the number of business and economy class seat ratio.

Bajpe airport ranks among the best in the country

2008-09-10T08:49:00.000-07:00

Raviprasad Kamila The Hindu

It secured 86 per cent marks for customer satisfaction among the 25 airports surveyed in March this year
Established in 1951, it has grown tremendously in the last 10 years: official
Mangalore airport was credited with ISO 14,001 certification in 2006

MANGALORE: Once neglected as a “table-top airport”, the Mangalore airport is now counted among the most sought after airports in the country for the infrastructure it has developed. It has certainly given Mangalore a pride of place.
The airport at Bajpe securing 86 per cent “customer satisfaction” score in a recent national survey that covered 25 domestic airports is probably indicative of its growth. The survey undertaken by Spectrum Planning (India) Ltd for the Airports Authority of India (AAI) in February-March this year revealed that only Jammu airport could match Bajpe airport on customers’ satisfaction.
From handling 56 flights a week in 2005, the airport has come a long way. It now handles 280 flights a week – a five fold increase in a short span.Over 50-years old
Although the Mangalore airport was opened in December, 1951 it had remained dormant for several years. It came to limelight about three years ago, after the construction of a new concrete runway was taken up. Other infrastructure and commercial facilities were added subsequently. The airport witnessed a rapid growth after M.R. Vasudeva took over its reins as the director in 2004, according to Rajesh Sequeira, co-ordinator, Karnataka NRI Forum, U.A.E. “The NRIs in West Asia, particularly Dubai, will never forget October 3, 2006, when a passenger flight from Dubai landed at Mangalore airport for the first time,” he said. “The main beneficiaries of the airport are the NRIs of Mangalore and North Kerala origin residing in different countries of West Asia,” he said. According to him, the NRIs now need not fly to West Asian countries via Mumbai. “We can save money and time,” he said and added, “without sacrificing comfort and convenience”. On his part, Mr. Vasudeva attributes the growth of the airport to financial and administrative support given by K. Ramalingam, Chairman, AAI. Evolution
The director said that the AAI deposited Rs. 50 lakh with the State Government in March, 1989 for handing over 186 acre for the construction of new concrete runway and terminal building. The State handed over the land for the runway in September, 2003 after a gap of 14 years. The construction of 2.4-km-long new concrete runway began in April, 2004 and completed in March, 2006. This is in addition to the old 1.6-km-long tar runway. Mr. Vasudeva said that although the State Government handed over the land records, not all the 208 project-affected families had vacated their lands. The airport authorities had to convince people to vacate their land. In addition, the AAI had to face opposition from the Vimana Nildana Vistarana Virodhi Samiti, a forum of people, who opposed the expansion of the airport. “The real challenge was in shifting a church, a mosque and a “daivasthana”, a place of spirit-worship, from Adyapady village for constructing the new runway,” he recalled.
Construction of the new air-conditioned arrival hall to accommodate 250 passengers at a time, expansion of departure hall to accommodate even number of passengers, setting up of visitors’ gallery and anti-hijacking room, strengthening the apron, the parking stand for aircraft, to enable parking of four aircraft at a time, constructing a parallel taxi-way connecting two runways, opening a restaurant, providing two security hold areas to make passengers rest after checking in, are some of the other projects completed after 2005. In addition, the area control centre of the airport extended its air traffic services to over flying aircrafts from 13 hours to 24 hours. This helped pilots flying approximately 200 nautical miles of airspace from the centre of Mangalore Area Control Centre to get clear instructions for safe navigation to avoid collision. The airspace comprised parts of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa and Maharashtra.
The AAI changed its Instrument Landing System (ILS) from offset ILS to category I-ILS for safe landing of aircraft during rainy season, cloudy weather and night time. A high-frequency radar was commissioned at the airport. Opening of two currency exchange counters, duty-free shops, ATM and a bank branch, a mini area traffic control tower, barracks for CISF personnel, quarters for employees are some of the other developments that have taken place at the airport.
The airport built a 8.5-km perimeter road around it to enable vehicles to reach any part of the airport premises at any time of emergency. A compound wall was also built.
The airport obtained ISO 9001 certification in 2004 for quality management system and ISO 14,001 certification in 2006 for environment management system. Passenger traffic
The Union Government declared the airport as a Customs airport in 2006.
The passenger traffic at the airport increased from 2.2 lakh in 1998 to 6.7 lakh in 2007.New terminal building
The new terminal building at Kenjar is coming up with associated amenities at an estimated cost of Rs. 147 crore. There will be two aero bridges, five parking stands, separate arrival and departure halls and other mandatory facilities there. It is expected to be completed by this year-end, Mr. Vasudeva said.

Jet Airways Launches Mangalore - Dubai Through Check in Flight Via Mumbai

2008-08-24T08:24:00.000-07:00

Media Release
Mangalore, Aug 24: Jet Airways have successfully launched flights to Muscat, Doha, Bahrain, Kuwait and Abu Dhabi from India and have now extended their services to Dubai from Mumbai and New Delhi from 23AUG 08. Now passengers can fly out from Mangalore to Dubai Via Mumbai. Jet Airways offers a through check in facility and a convenient transfer with minimum connecting time at Mumbai making travel hassle free.

Schedule

9W432 Dep Mangalore 1505hrs Arr Mumbai 1620hrs

9W544 Dep Mumbai 1840hrs Arr Dubai 2015hrs
The inaugural flight to Dubai was inaugurated with passengers and agents at Mangalore airport on 23 August.M R Vasudev ,Airport Director ,Mangalore Airport , cut the cake and released the first boarding card for the Mangalore Dubai flight via Mumbai.

Dubai: Jet Airways Plans to Introduce Gulf-Mangalore Direct Flights - Naresh Goel

2008-08-18T03:36:00.000-07:00

by Sujay BendurDaijiworld Media Network—Dubai (CN)
Dubai, Aug 18: Naresh Goel, chairman, Jet Airways, on Sunday, August 17, announced the starting of a direct flight from Dubai to Mumbai and Delhi. With this, the prospects of a private airline flying to Mangalore from the Gulf region is getting brigther. Jet Airways is already laying the required ground work.
Speaking on the issue with Rajesh Sequiera, co-ordinator, Karnataka NRI Forum, Goel remarked that Mangalore is a very important destination and the airlines is planning to connect Mangalore internationally. He said that with the support of Mangaloreans, Jet Airways should be able to achieve this very soon.
Goel also informed that Jet Airways is planning to fly between Jeddah and Mumbai as well as Riyadh and Mumbai in the coming months. Speaking to Daijiworld, Shakir Kantawala, regional manager, Jet Airways, said that till direct flights begin passenger can use the through check-in and throughfares to Mangalore.

The airlines daily flights from Dubai, the airlines twentieth international destination, to Mumbai and Delhi, will begin on Saturday, August 23. Dubai will be the sixth destination in the airlines Gulf network and the second in the UAE. Jet Airways Dubai flights will complement the airlines daily services to Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Bahrain, Muscat, and Doha, from various points in India.
Jet Airways will deploy its dual-class, state-of-the-art Airbus 330-200 aircraft on these routes, featuring its acclaimed herringbone-configured Première, and its spacious new economy class. On the Mumbai-Dubai sector, flight 9W 544 will depart Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport at 1840 hrs and will arrive at Dubai International Airport at 2015 hrs. On the return leg, flight 9W 543 will depart Dubai International Airport at 2145 hrs and will arrive at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai at 0215 hrs.
On the Delhi-Dubai sector, flight 9W 548 will depart Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport at 1840 hrs and will arrive at Dubai International Airport at 2025 hrs. On the return leg, flight 9W 547 will depart Dubai International Airport at 2255 hrs and will arrive at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi at 0335 hrs.
To commemorate its maiden foray into Dubai, the airline has introduced special return economy class fares on its first three flights only, at AED 860 net, inclusive of taxes, and return première fares of AED 2,200 inclusive of taxes, on its services to Dubai, from Mumbai and New Delhi. After the promotional period, the economy fares start at AED 820 (return) and premiere fares at AED 2,200 (return), excluding taxes.
Besides Goel, Gaurang Shetty, vice-president alliances and interline affairs, Shakir Kantawala, and Abraham Joseph, senior general manager, Jet Airways, were present at the press meet.

Mangalore: Workshop on Airport Security, Immigration Law Inaugurated

2008-08-18T00:52:00.000-07:00

Pics: Dayanand KukkajeDaijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (CN)

Mangalore, Aug 18: A three-day workshop on ‘Immigration Law and Airport Security’, for police personnel, was inaugurated in the city on Monday August 18, by Satheesh Kumar, DK superintendent of police.
He said that police security will be strengthened at the airport and the port. A proposal has been sent to the state government requesting appointment of additional staff to strengthen security in these areas, added the policeman.
Since the number of international passengers at the city airport has increased, the need for tighter security has risen accordingly. The police department has taken this issue seriously, added Satheesh Kumar.
Prasad Rane, in-charge, fraud and forgery prevention in Air India Express and Harbhajan Singh of Bombay immigration bureau, were present on the dais.
Dharmaiah, deputy superintendent of police, welcomed the gathering. Manjunath Shetty proposed the vote of thanks. Harishchandra, deputy superintendent of police, compered the programme.

Riyadh: KWAR Appeals Indian Ambassador for Direct Flight to Mangalore

2008-08-12T02:32:00.000-07:00

News and Pics by P A Hameed Padubidrifor Daijiworld Media Network - Riyadh (GA)

Riyadh, Aug 12: One more milestone has been achieved by Karavali Welfare Association-Riyadh (KWAR) as its four-member delegation recently met the Indian Ambassador M O H Farooq at his office in Indian Embassy in Riyadh. The delegation consisting of KWAR president Vijay Rai, vice-president Khasim Ahmed, joint secretary Parvez Ali and coordinator Rajesh, elucidated the purpose behind the formation of KWAR in Riyadh in particular and in the Kingdom in general, and shed a light on the grievances being faced by Mangaloreans in the Kingdom including the non-availability of direct flight to Mangalore. A memorandum was also submitted to the Ambassador requesting him to recommend for having the necessary facilities including the direct international flight from Saudi Arabia to Mangalore.
“The meeting with the Ambassador really etched in our mind as he showed his humane gesture towards us and his interest to know the culture and even grumbles of Mangaloreans; he promised that he will have a look at the memorandum and consider it on priority to get it realized including the recommendation for the direct flight to Mangalore,” the delegation said in elation.
Karavali Welfare Association Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (KWAR) is a non-profit voluntary Organization formed with broad objective of doing across-the-board social and community services particularly to the people of Mangalore in and outside the Kingdom.
The Association comprised of non-residents of the coastal region of Karnataka State, who strongly believe in unity and equality in all respects. The people of this part were deprived of various facilities and benefits and their assorted grievances were not properly addressed only because of non-availability of a suitable voice to represent them. Knowing the big vacuum, the people of different communities of this locale in Riyadh came together with common understanding under a common platform and shaped up the said Association by setting it in motion to implement its constructive objectives step-by-step. Initially a campaign for requesting direct flight link between Riyadh and Mangalore was taken up by the association. Its future plans will take account of organizing cultural, educational, personality development and charity raising programmes including setting up a job link for its members and others alike.
“The meeting has boosted up our morale to accelerate our pace and we are confident that our request will definitely be given a high priority and our dream of the direct flight from Riyadh to Mangalore will not be remote” both the president and vice-president of KWAR said while speaking to the Daijiworld Correspondent.

Mangalore Airport New Terminal Ready in 6 Months: Yeddyurappa

2008-08-03T04:25:00.000-07:00

DHNS

MangalorePics: Dayananda Kukkaje

Mangalore, Aug 3: Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa has stated that the new terminal building at the Mangalore airport will be completed within six months, making it a full-fledged international airport. Addressing journalists after inspecting the ongoing project during his maiden visit to the district as a chief minister on Saturday, he said a meeting of Revenue and other officials would be convened soon in Bangalore in order to discuss the issues regarding land acquisition for the completion of the said project.
Investors’ meet
The Chief Minister said the government would be hosting a global investors’ meet in the State capital soon in order to attract more foreign investors to Karnataka.“It is with the same purpose, a NRI Cell has been constituted in the State headed by MLC Capt Ganesh Karnik. A separate panel of industrialists is also being sent to the AKKA conference to be held in America,” Mr Yeddyurappa noted.
After Bangalore, it is Mangalore that is attracting the attention of investors from all over the world in the recent years, he said adding that he had given instructions to all the authorities concerned to take necessary steps to provide a convenient atmosphere for them.
Coastal belt has abundant scope to develop tourism, and hence plans are there to tap these opportunities with public-private-partnership, he said.

Tackling terrorism
Answering a query, the CM said the government had taken stringent steps to tackle terrorism and Naxal menace across the State, including strengthening the coastal security. He brushed aside complaints that security has not got proper attention in the coastal districts.
Terrorists cannot function unless they get local support. Preventing and mitigating terrorism is in the hands of the public, he observed, appealing for their co-operation and support.
Progress review
Yeddyurappa who had conducted a meeting of all deputy commissioners and ZP chief executive officers in Bangalore earlier in the morning, said, such meetings would be a held once-in-three months.
He said the government aimed at getting airports for all district centres within the next two years. All DCs have been asked to identify 100 acres in their district and come up with proposals in the next 20 days, the chief minister said.
Home Minister Dr V S Acharya, District-in-Charge Minister J Krishna Palemar, Housing and Muzrai Minister Krishnaiah Setty, Medical Education Minister Ramachandra Gowda, BJP State President D V Sadananda Gowda among others were present on the occasion.

Mangalore: Bajpe international Airport Gets Additional Baggage X-Ray Facility

2008-07-29T21:40:00.000-07:00

Daijiworld Media Network—Mangalore (RD/CN) Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje
Mangalore, Jul 29: The additional baggage x-ray facility installed at Bajpe international airport was inaugurated by deputy commissioner (DC) Maheshwar Rao, on Tuesday, July 29.
The earlier baggage x-ray facility was installed in the departure and arrival lounge and was inaugurated by Dr Veerendra Heggade, Dharmadhikari of Sri Kshetra Dharmastala Manjunatheshwar, a few days ago.
The additional x-ray has been installed to speed up screening of baggage after the increase in the number domestic and international flights in recent times. Moreover, till the exclusive international terminus becomes operational in 2009 at Kenjar, near Maravoor, these additional facilities will benefit the passengers.
M R Vasudev, airport director, Chellamprasad, Mangalore chief, Air India Express (AIE), Nagesh Shetty, Mangalore chief of Indian, officers of the Airports Authority of India (AAI), AIE, and staff of private airlines were present on the occasion.

Mangalore airport tops satisfaction survey

2008-07-24T21:24:00.000-07:00

GEARING UP: A file photo of M.R. Vasudeva, director, Mangalore Airport, inspecting the progress of work on the new integrated terminal building at Bajpe Airport.

The Hindu -Raviprasad Kamila
SPIL has been conducting the six-monthly study since 2007; it is scheduled to end next year
Jammu shares the top spot with Bajpe among the 25 airports surveyed
Exercise aims at rectifying the areas of lacunae

MANGALORE: Customers have ranked Mangalore and Jammu airports high among the 25 domestic airports in the country in a customer satisfaction survey conducted recently.
Spectrum Planning (India) Ltd (SPIL) conducted the survey for the Airport Authority of India (AAI) in February and March this year. Both Mangalore and Jammu airports secured 86 per cent satisfaction score in the survey. Assignment
The executive summary of the survey says that the AAI has assigned the company to conduct four rounds of survey between 2007 and 2009 with a six-month interval. The February-March 2008 survey was the third one. The company conducted the survey of 13 international airports in the country, separately. The objective of the survey is to assess the opinion of customers on the facilities and services and to identify new services and improve facilities to make the airports more customer friendly. The survey aimed at assessing the attitude of the service providers at airports, the executive summary said.Survey report
According to the survey, the overall customer satisfaction index (CSI) of Mangalore Airport at Bajpe is raising. The satisfaction score in the first round was 75 per cent, it shot up to 82 per cent in the second and 86 per cent in the third round.
The survey covered the aspects such as quality of food, car parking facility, shopping facility, behaviour of staff, general comfort, adequacy of seating arrangement, general aesthetics of airport, cleanliness, illumination, phone and banking facilities and so on. ‘Challenge’
M.R. Vasudeva, director of the airport, told The Hindu: “Now the challenge is to sustain the satisfaction-level of customers.” He said that civil works of the new terminal building of the airport at Kenjar were expected to be completed by December this year. However, operations at the new terminal building could start only after March, 2009 as shifting of facilities from the existing terminal building to the new building would take some time. Progress of work
Stating that the roof of the basement and first floor at the new terminal building had been completed, he said: “At present, the roofing of the second floor and the construction of a new power sub-station near the terminal building are under way.”
Work on the apron, the parking-stand for the aircraft, taxi-way connecting the apron and the runway had been completed. The AAI had sought the State Government to hand over the State highway, that connects the Mangalore-Bajpe Road with Kenjar where the new terminal building was coming up, to it.
“If the Government hands it over to AAI, we will asphalt it and improve it.
Once the new terminal building is connected with this road, the distance between Mangalore city and the airport will be reduced by 8 km,” he said

First-aid training for Mangalore airport staff

2008-07-23T19:59:00.000-07:00

The Hindu Staff Correspondent
MANGALORE: The Airports Authority of India in collaboration with Kasturaba Medical College organised a first-aid training programme for newly recruited fire service personnel at its airport at Bajpe here on Wednesday.
The Dharmadhikari of Srikshethra Dharmasthala, Veerendra Heggade, who inaugurated the programme, said, “In this age, everyone has to be informed about first-aid treatment. Awareness about the methods of administering first-aid can save lives. This training will be helpful for passengers in an emergency situation.”
About the Mangalore airport, he said tremendous changes had taken place in the past four years and the services there had improved. A friendly approach on the part of airport personnel had made air travellers appreciate their efforts. He hoped Mangalore would be recognised at the international level soon. He also inaugurated a newly introduced X-ray baggage machine. First-aid trainer Ambareesh, who works as an anaesthesiologist at Kasturba Medical College Hospital here, said awareness about first-aid in India was on the wane and every person should know its basics. In times of danger, only proper training could help save lives.
Station Manager of Air India, Mangalore, Chellam Prasad was present.

AIE exploring possibilities of operating flights to Riyadh, Dammam

2008-07-17T05:09:00.000-07:00

ARTISTIC: M.R. Vasudeva (right), director, Airport Authority of India, Chellam Prasad, (left), Station Manager of Air India, and Ratan Bali (second from left), deputy regional director, Air India, Mumbai, watch the Yakshagana being performed at the launching ceremony of a first flight to Sharjah at Bajpe aiport in Mangalore on Thursday.

Staff Correspondent
Yakshagana show marks the launch of Kozhikode-Mangalore-Sharjah service at Bajpe aiport
AIE will add six aircraft to its present fleet of 19 in a year, says official
The new flight service reduces journey time to the two cities by six hours

MANGALORE: The Air India Express (AIE), budget airliner of Air India, is exploring the possibilities of connecting Mangalore with Riyadh and Dammam in Saudi Arabia, Ratan Bali, Deputy Regional Director, Air India, Mumbai, said here on Thursday.
He was speaking to presspersons at Mangalore airport on the sidelines of a function to launch an Air India Express flight from Kozhikode to Sharajah and Kuwait, via Mangalore on Thursday.
He said, at present, the AIE had 19 aircraft and was planning to add six more to it by October, 2009.
“We will establish connectivity to more destinations when the aircraft arrive. Operating flights to Riyadh and Dammam is in our agenda,” he said. Mr. Bali said that AIE would operate a flight service between Kolkatta and Dhaka from July 20.
Asked if Air India had plans to have its maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) station at Mangalore, he said: “If the situation warrants, we will look into it.” The mood at the Bajpe airport on Thursday was upbeat as the number of West Asian cities having flight connection with Mangalore rose to seven. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) staff at the airport, members of airlines and passengers came together to celebrate the event.
Yakshagana artistes, Sanjaya Kumar and his Padubidri-based troupe, performed Yakshagana for a while at the departure hall. The beatings of “chende” , “mrudanga” and “charka tala” reverberated the airport. The artistes staged scenes from “Mahishasura Vadhe” and “Shakata Vadhe” episodes.
M.R. Vasudeva, director of the airport, Chellam Prasad, station manager, Air India- Mangalore and Mr. Bali cut a cake to mark the inauguration of the first flight to Sharjah and Kuwait.
According to Ms. Prasad, 87 passengers travelled in the inaugural flight on Thursday. Of them, 32 were bound for Sharjah and the rest for Kuwait. The flight arrived at Bajpe airport from Kozhikode at 6.05 p.m. and departed to Sharajah at 7.40 p.m. It would arrive here from Sharjah at 8.30 a.m. and depart to Sharjah at 9.20 a.m. on Friday. For the incoming flight, 137 seats had been booked from Kuwait and 18 from Sharajah, she said.
Lancy D’Souza of Kinnigoli, who works in Kuwait, said that a passenger flying from Mangalore to Kuwait would now save eight hours of journey. Earlier, he and his family members, had to go to Mumbai to take flights to Sharjah and Kuwait. He claimed that he was working in Kuwait for the past 30 years. He was spending Rs. 21,000 for one-way journey to Kuwait from Mangalore via Mumbai. Now he had paid Rs. 9,600 to reach Kuwait.
He said that during his 30 years of travel, he had never seen such grand celebrations at the airport.
Gracy Monterio of Jeppu said that she was travelling to Kuwait by Thursday’s flight for the first time to join her family. Jane Fernandes of Gangolli and Sushma Dinesh of Nitte were also travelling to Kuwait for the first time.
Rajesh Sequeira, co-ordinator, Karnataka NRI Forum, UAE, was present on the occasion.

Bajpe airport likely to start handling cargo operations soon

2008-07-17T04:21:00.000-07:00

Raviprasad Kamila for The Hindu

Union Government has issued a notification in this regard Surathkal and Gurupura hoblis have been declared as ‘to be a warehousing station’Airport to have duty-free shops within a week

MANGALORE: The Union Government has issued a notification which will likely enable Bajpe (Mangalore) airport of the Airports Authority of India to handle cargo operations soon.
Official sources here have viewed this as a first step in realising the long-pending dream of the region.
The airport will have two duty-free shops within a week, as a result of the notification which is awaiting publication in the Gazette of India Extraordinary.
Air commuters will be able to buy imported goods such as liquor, tobacco, perfume, cosmetics, camera, watches, soft drinks, food products, pens and toys from the shops.
The airport authorities have been seeking permission to start cargo operations and establish duty-free shops for a long time.
Cargo operations are expected to improve the airport’s revenue, besides benefiting exporters and importers of the region and northern parts of Kerala. Notification
The notification, issued by Heera Radhakrishnan, Chief Commissioner of Customs, Karnataka, declares Surathkal and Gurupura hoblies, in which the airport is located, as “to be a warehousing station”, under Section 9 of the Customs Act, 1962, M.R. Vasudeva, Director of the airport, told The Hindu.
Sources said that based on the notification the Customs Department might issue licences for setting up private and public warehouses in the limits of these hoblis.
Section 9 of the Act says, “The Board may, by notification in the Official Gazette, declare places to be warehousing stations at which alone public warehouses may be appointed and private warehouses may be licensed.”
Meanwhile, Mangalore Customs Commissionerate issued licence to Flemingo Duty Free Shop Private Ltd. on July 11 to open duty-free shops at the airport.
The shops would be opened in the international arrival hall and in the international departure hall within a week, Mr. Vasudeva added.New flight service
Mangalore will be connected to two more West Asian cities from July 17. The Air India Express will operate a flight to Sharjah and Kuwait from Thursday.
Presently, there are flight services from the city to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha, Bahrain and Muscat.

Kuwait : `Ready, Get Set' - AI Express Brief Media on Maiden Mangalore Flight

2008-07-06T04:53:00.000-07:00

by Noel Cutinho, KuwaitDaijiworld Media Network - Kuwait
Kuwait, Jul 6: It is official now, Air India Express held a press conference on 5th July, at 7.50pm at Crown Plaza, Kuwait announcing the flights between Kuwait, Mangalore and Calicut. Krishan C Bhar, Country Manager (Kuwait/Cypus/Iran) of Air India Express hosted the Press Meeting along with his Air India staff Kuwait.
The Press Meeting was attended by numerous media personnel along with top officials of various associations of Karnataka and Kerala.
Krishan C Bhar was very happy to announce the first flight from Kuwait-Mangalore will start on 17th Jul, 2008 late night. Initially the flight will be twice a week on Thursday and Sunday. Later on, as per the demand the frequency will be increased.
During his speech he presented slide show regarding the new generation aircraft Boeing 737-800 as well other useful information. He also told that fares will be like budget airlines but with added services like on board food packets will be served to the passengers. Drinks (liquor) will be served at extra nominal cost. Baggage allowance from Kuwait-Mangalore will be 30 kilos and Mangalore-Kuwait is 20 kilos. Hand baggage allowed 5 kilos.
Due to Technical reason flight will have a stop over at Sharjah for 50 minutes for refuel purposes. The flying time will be Kuwait- Sharjah 1 hour 30 minutes, stop over at Sharjah 50 minutes and Sharjah to Mangalore will be 3 hours 40 minutes. The total time between Kuwait to Mangalore reduced to six hours whereas earlier it used to take 18 hours. Tickets can be booked online, will have complete transparency. Due to technical reason so far tickets cannot be booked but the problem will be resolved soon.
The Kuwait-Mangalore flight is beneficial to both states Coastal Karnataka and Northern Kerala. He had applauded the relentless efforts of Pascal Pinto, Archie Menezes and all the associations under the banner of UAKK.
Pascal Pinto, (PRO UAKK) addressed the meeting; the golden moment is arrived with the efforts of all. He remembered and thanked numerous associations, various officials of Air India, politicians and government authorities of Kuwait and India for the dream come true.
K Narsing Rao, First Secretary of Indian Embassy and Archie Menezes of UAAK main Co-coordinator of UAAK and top officials of various associations of Mangalore and Kerala addressed the gathering and expressed the happiness.
During the press meeting, Krishan C Bhar, Manager Air India Express well interacted with media as well other dignitaries. The Press meet was concluded with dinner.
During the Press Meet Air India Express officials distributed the information regarding Fare Rules and Policies as follows.
Rescheduling fee of Rs.250/- or its equivalent in local currency will be charged for any postponements / advancements. While rescheduling, if he applicable fare is more than the current basic fare, the difference amount will be charged to the passenger. However, if the applicable fare is less than the current basic fare, the different amount WILL NOT BE REFUNDED to the passenger.
CANCELLATION:
Cancellations over the internet are allowed for passengers who book through the internet or through other modes where the passenger has used credit card for purchase of the ticket. 10% of the basic fare + transaction fee is the cancellation is made 10 days or more prior to the scheduled departure of the flight.15% of the basic fare + transaction fee is the cancellation charge if the cancellation is made between 9 days and 24 hours prior to the scheduled departure of the flight. No refund if the cancellation is made less than 24 hours prior to the scheduled departure of the flight. Only Taxes will be refunded back

Riyadh - Mangalore Flight : KWAR Gets into Action

2008-07-02T09:23:00.000-07:00

News From P A Hameed Padubidri For Daijiworld Media Network—Riyadh (CN)

Riyadh, Jul 1: Representatives from the Karavali welfare association Riyadh (KWAR), met the manager of Air India, Ratan Ghosh on Monday, June 30, and handed over a memorandum regarding the direct flight from Riyadh to Mangalore.
This was one of the major milestones embodied by the KWAR in its programme. The delegation consisted of Vijai Rai, president of KWAR, Khasim Ahmed, vice-president of KWAR, Royston Prabhu, general secretary, and Rajesh Kumar, co-ordinator.

The team members expressed their satisfaction with the briefing in which the existence and diverse objectives of the association were communicated to Ghosh. The delegation also highlighted the importance and contribution of Mangalore (undivided district of DK) as a focal point that had the lion’s share in education, economy, trade, business, foreign exchange, and volume of NRIs in the Kingdom.
Ghosh was also invited to the inaugural ceremony of KWAR, to be held on Friday, July 4, 2008 at Al Khayyam Hotel at Hara, in Riyadh. Sources informed that Ghosh is well aware of the region and the airline has done its own survey and homework on the possibility of introducing direct flights on this route.
The management of Air India will look into the technical aspects of operating such flights, their frequency, volume of business expected, subject to the approval of the PCA and availability of aircraft.
This is a long-awaited dream of scores of NRIs based in various parts of the Kingdom like Riyadh, Qassim, Buraida, Hail, Dawadmi, Wadi Dawasir, Al Kharj, Maima, and others. A number of problems in the existing travel system via Mumbai and other terminal points, being faced by Mangaloreans as well as others would be considerably reduced if the direct flight facility is introduced. This will require the co-operation of both the concerned state and central governments in India. So far, there was no unified front to take up the cause in the Kingdom. Now KWAR has been pursuing the issue on a war footing and hopes to have the task accomplished before or by the end of 2008. Since its inception, KWAR has held regular meetings of its executive committee to work towards making this dream a reality.

Kuwait - Mangalore Direct Flight Tickets Now Online

2008-07-01T09:19:00.000-07:00

Daijiworld Media Network Mangalore
Mangalore, Jul 1: Daijiworld.com had earlier announced the possibility of flying direct between Kuwait-Mangalore from July 17, 2008. This long-pending dream is now getting realized. Air India Express has now officially conveyed the message to the website that flight will take-off from Mangalore to Kuwait on July 17 at 19.35hrs. It will arrive at Kuwait at 23.05 pm via Muscat.
Next day, flight will take off from Kuwait at 00.05 and arrive at Mangalore airport Via Muscat at 8.30 am
The inaugural fare will be Rs 8, 415 including tax one way from Mangalore to Kuwait and KD 53.70 from Kuwait to Mangalore one way.
Pascal Pinto, main coordinator of Kuwait Konkans informed daijiworld Mangalore office that Mangaloreans are planning big celebration prior to the take-off on Thursday July 17 midnight. He said that he is in touch with the Air India office Kuwait for further details.
Please access www.airindiaexpress.in for booking now!
More details will be updated soon on daijiworld.com

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

2008-06-26T09:15:00.000-07:00

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

ALL TOLL FREE NUMBERS IN INDIA

2008-06-24T05:52:00.000-07:00

Toll Free Numbers in India
Airlines
Indian Airlines - 1800 180 1407
Jet Airways - 1800 22 5522
SpiceJet - 1800 180 3333
Air India -- 1800 22 7722
KingFisher - 1800 180 0101
Banks
ABN AMRO - 1800 11 2224
Canara Bank - 1800 44 6000
Citibank - 1800 44 2265
Corporatin Bank - 1800 443 555
Development Credit Bank - 1800 22 5769
HDFC Bank - 1800 227 227
ICICI Bank - 1800 333 499
ICICI Bank NRI - 1800 22 4848
IDBI Bank - 1800 11 6999
Indian Bank - 1800 425 1400
ING Vysya - 1800 44 9900
Kotak Mahindra Bank - 1800 22 6022
Lord Krishna Bank - 1800 11 2300
Punjab National Bank - 1800 122 222
State Bank of India - 1800 44 1955
Syndicate Bank - 1800 44 6655

Automobiles
Mahindra Scorpio - 1800 22 6006
Maruti - 1800 111 515
Tata Motors - 1800 22 5552
Windshield Experts - 1800 11 3636
Computers/IT
Adrenalin - 1800 444 445
AMD - 1800 425 6664
Apple Computers - 1800 444 683
Canon - 1800 333 366
Cisco Systems - 1800 221 777
Compaq - HP - 1800 444 999
Data One Broadband - 1800 424 1800
Dell - 1800 444 026
Epson - 1800 44 0011
eSys - 3970 0011
Genesis Tally Academy - 1800 444 888
HCL - 1800 180 8080IBM - 1800 443 333
Lexmark - 1800 22 4477
Marshal's Point - 1800 33 4488
Microsoft - 1800 111 100
Microsoft Virus Update - 1901 333 334
Seagate - 1800 180 1104
Symantec - 1800 44 5533
TVS Electronics - 1800 444 566
WeP Peripherals - 1800 44 6446
Wipro - 1800 333 312xerox - 1800 180 1225
Zenith - 1800 222 004

Indian Railway
General Enquiry 131
Indian Railway Central Enquiry 131
Indian Railway Reservation 131
Indian Railway Railway Reservation Enquiry 1345,1335,1330 I
ndian Railway Centralised Railway Enquiry 1330/1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9

Couriers/Packers & Movers
ABT Courier - 1800 44 8585
AFL Wizz - 1800 22 9696
Agarwal Packers & Movers - 1800 11 4321
Associated Packers P Ltd - 1800 21 4560
DHL - 1800 111 345
FedEx - 1800 22 6161
Goel Packers & Movers - 1800 11 3456
UPS - 1800 22 7171

Home Appliances
Aiwa/Sony - 1800 11 1188
Anchor Switches - 1800 22 7979
Blue Star - 1800 22 2200Bose Audio - 1800 11 2673
Bru Coffee Vending Machines - 1800 44 7171
Daikin Air Conditioners - 1800 444 222
DishTV - 1800 12 3474
Faber Chimneys - 1800 21 4595
Godrej - 1800 22 5511Grundfos Pumps - 1800 33 4555LG - 1901 180 9999
Philips - 1800 22 4422
Samsung - 1800 113 444
Sanyo - 1800 11 0101
Voltas - 1800 33 4546
WorldSpace Satellite Radio - 1800 44 5432
Investments/ FinanceCAMS - 1800 44 2267
Chola Mutual Fund - 1800 22 2300
Easy IPO's - 3030 5757
Fidelity Investments - 1800 180 8000
Franklin Templeton Fund - 1800 425 4255
J M Morgan Stanley - 1800 22 0004
Kotak Mutual Fund - 1800 222 626
LIC Housing Finance - 1800 44 0005
SBI Mutual Fund - 1800 22 3040
Sharekhan - 1800 22 7500
Tata Mutual Fund - 1800 22 0101
TravelClub Mahindra Holidays - 1800 33 4539
Cox & Kings - 1800 22 1235
God TV Tours - 1800 442 777
Kerala Tourism - 1800 444 747
Kumarakom Lake Resort - 1800 44 5030
Raj Travels & Tours - 1800 22 9900
Sita Tours - 1800 111 911SOTC Tours - 1800 22 3344
HealthcareBest on Health - 1800 11 8899
Dr Batras - 1800 11 6767
GlaxoSmithKline - 1800 22 8797
Johnson & Johnson - 1800 22 8111
Kaya Skin Clinic - 1800 22 5292
LifeCell - 1800 44 5323
Manmar Technologies - 1800 33 4420
Pfizer - 1800 442 442
Roche Accu-Chek - 1800 11 45 46
Rudraksha - 1800 21 4708
Varilux Lenses - 1800 44 8383
VLCC - 1800 33 1262

Insurance
AMP Sanmar - 1800 44 2200A
viva - 1800 33 2244Bajaj Allianz - 1800 22 5858
Chola MS General Insurance - 1800 44 5544
HDFC Standard Life - 1800 227 227 LIC - 1800 33 4433
Max New York Life - 1800 33 5577Royal Sundaram - 1800 33 8899
SBI Life Insurance - 1800 22 9090
Hotel ReservationsGRT Grand - 1800 44 5500
InterContinental Hotels Group - 1800 111 000
Marriott - 1800 22 0044
Sarovar Park Plaza - 1800 111 222
Taj Holidays - 1800 111 825
TeleshoppingAsian Sky Shop - 1800 22 1800
Jaipan Teleshoppe - 1800 11 5225
Tele Brands - 1800 11 8000
VMI Teleshopping - 1800 447 777
WWS Teleshopping - 1800 220 777
Others Domino's Pizza - 1800 111 123
Cell PhonesBenQ - 1800 22 08 08
Bird CellPhones - 1800 11 7700
Motorola MotoAssist - 1800 11 1211
Nokia - 3030 3838
Sony Ericsson - 3901 1111

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

2008-06-23T06:06:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-13T04:24:00.001-07:00

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

2008-06-11T06:52:00.000-07:00

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

Mangalore Airport Traffic up by 92% : Surpasses Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai

2008-05-18T04:21:00.000-07:00

Times of India

Mangalore airport sees phenomenal growth of 92%
Surpasses Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai
Third fastest growing tier-II city
Airport handles 42 international arrivals and departures per week
Handles 28 domestic arrivals and departures per day
Even on cargo front, impressive growth of 39%

Mangalore, May 18: Mangalore has shot to fame as the city’s Bajpe airport has recorded a phenomenal growth in air traffic movement of 92% in February 2008 compared to the corresponding period in the previous year.
Mangalore Airport's new terminal will have this look when the work is completed.
According to a report on latest air traffic trends issued by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), Mangalore airport has reported the largest growth in south India surpassing metros like Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai, and is the third fastest growing tier-II city in India after Agartala (95.2%) and Indore (105.9%).
The average national growth in air traffic movement in the country for February ’08 was 18% over the same period in ‘07.
According to the AAI report card, the increase in the number of low-cost airlines and international airlines is fuelling the growth of air traffic in these secondary cities. Bangalore is no more the gateway city to Mangalore, as now airlines operate direct flights from Mumbai and other metro cities. Recently, lowcost carrier Deccan launched a new flight connecting Mangalore to Kochi. National low-cost carrier Air India Express will also be upping its frequency in and out of Mangalore as it adds more flights to the Gulf region as well as metro cities in India.
“As Bangalore gets more and more saturated, emerging regional hubs like Mangalore are going to benefit. Mangalore has traditionally attracted the student and leisure traffic, but of late it’s attracting a lot of business traffic especially from the IT sector, forcing airlines to increase their services,” said Kapil Kaul, CEO (Indian subcontinent & Middle East), Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation.
Mangalore saw a 67% growth in domestic air traffic movement in February, in comparison to the national average of 17.4%. At present, the airport handles 42 international arrivals and departures per week and 28 domestic arrivals and departures per day. Incidentally, Bajpe airport is the only airport in the state to operate two runways. The new Bengaluru International Airport will get its second runway only in 2014.
Even on the cargo front Mangalore reported an impressive growth of 39% in the year ended March 30, 2008 over the previous year.

Bajpe airport director M R Vasudeva, said, “More infrastructure facilities had to be added to the arrival terminal due to the increase in operations by domestic and international carriers.”
And this spurt in air traffic has helped the airport record an impressive 950% growth in operating profit for the year ended March 30, 2008. It clocked an operating profit of Rs 9 crore up from Rs 83 lakh reported in the previous fiscal. Total revenue of the airport stood at Rs 19 crore for the year gone by.
And the growth is likely to continue to remain at these starry heights as a new terminal building will be up and running by February 2009.

Mangalore: AAI Completes Work on New Apron at Kenjar

2008-05-01T21:02:00.000-07:00

The Hindu
Mangalore, May 1: The Airports Authority of India has completed work on the new apron (parking stand for aircraft) pending shoulder works at Kenjar, near Bajpe airport, where its new terminal building is coming up.
The new apron can accommodate four Airbus 310 type aircraft and one Airbus 321 at a time, M.R. Vasudeva, Director, Mangalore (Bajpe) Airport told The Hindu. "The area of apron is approximately 43,000 square metres. It is ready," he said.
Shoulder works of apron and works on the taxiway connecting the apron with the new concrete runway will be completed in a fortnight. The total cost of the apron, shoulder works and taxi way is Rs. 18.19 crore, he said.
The new apron is part of the works being taken up under the modernisation of Bajpe Airport. Work on the new terminal building is under progress in an area covering 18,000 sq. mts. The total cost of the modernisation project is approximately Rs. 147 crore.
The AAI recently wrote to the Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat to hand over Maravoor-Kenjar Road to it. This road connects the new terminal building site (Kenjar) with Mangalore-Bajpe Road at Maravoor.
This 900-mt-long 7.5 mt wide asphalted road is in bad condition. Presently the contractors executing the terminal building works use this road to transport light weight construction material to the site.
"If the State Government hands it over, we will widen this road to 9 metres and strengthen it. It will provide connectivity to the new terminal building from Mangalore city," Mr. Vasudeva said.
When contacted, a senior official at the zilla panchayat who did not want to be named said that the AAI’s request would have to be sent to the government. If the State Government gives its green signal, the road can be handed over.
A decision to this effect probably will be taken after the Assembly elections.
"We have handed over a small stretch of road in front of the Bajpe Airport to the AAI. This road is between entry and exit points outside the compound wall of the existing airport terminal building," he said.

Mangalore - Kuwait Flight by July-end: Chellam Prasad

2008-04-29T07:53:00.000-07:00

The Hindu
MANGALORE, Apr 29: Air India Express, the low cost carrier of Air India, will introduce a flight service between Kozhikode and Kuwait via Mangalore before July-end this year.
Chellam Prasad, Mangalore Station Manager, Air India, told The Hindu that this flight would operate three days a week. There had been a demand for such a flight service from the non-resident Indians in West Asia, she added.
Timings
She said that the flight would depart from Mangalore in the evening and arrive here from Kuwait in the morning. The exact timings of arrival and departure were yet to be announced. The flight operations between Mangalore and Kuwait would be via Abudhabi or Muscat, she said.
Since there was no aircraft base station at Mangalore, the flight would depart from Kozhikode. “This is like other flights of Air India Express which operate between Kozhikode and some of the destinations in West Asia,” she said.
Ms. Prasad said that the Air India Express operated 21 flights a week between Mangalore and different destinations in West Asia. The destinations are: Dubai, Abudhabi, Muscat, Bahrain and Doha. “With introduction of a new flight service to Kuwait, the passenger traffic between Mangalore and West Asia is expected to increase,” she added.
She said that the airlines began flight service between Mangalore and West Asia, particularly to Dubai, on October 3, 2006. Other services were introduced subsequently. The airlines handled 16,746 passengers from Mangalore to West Asia in 2006-07 and 75,987 passengers in 2007-08.
Chellam Prasad
Celebrations
In a press release, Ms. Prasad said that the Air India Express (AIE) celebrated its third anniversary of introducing first flight in Mangalore on Monday. The AIE, a wholly owned subsidiary of NACIL, was set up under Air India Charters Ltd. The inaugural flight flew on April 29, 2005 from Thiruvananthapuram International Airport to Abu Dhabi, she said.
Commencing its operations with three leased aircraft, the Air India Express fleet now boasts of 18 state-of-the-art Boeing 737-800 aircraft, considered to be among the most technologically advanced single-aisle jet aircraft. By the end of 2009, it will have 25 aircraft in its fleet, of which seven would be on lease and 18 owned.

Mangalore: Revenue of Bajpe airport goes up

2008-04-16T05:56:00.000-07:00

The Hindu

MANGALORE April 16: A year after it came out of the red, Mangalore airport of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) at Bajpe made a remarkable operating profit in 2007-08. It made an operating profit 10 times more than what it was in 2006-07.
Its operating profit in 2007-08 stood at Rs. 8.61 crore whereas in 2006-07 it was Rs. 83 lakh, M.R. Vasudeva, director of the airport, told The Hindu.
The airport’s revenue and expenditure in the last financial year stood at Rs. 19.50 crore and Rs. 10.89 crore, respectively, he said.
When net profit is worked out by the auditors, it could be slightly lower than the operating profit which did not account for depreciation and rate of return, he added.
He attributed the growth in the operating profit to increase in traffic and non-traffic revenue. Traffic revenue came from aircraft movements in the form of route navigation, landing and parking charges. Non-traffic revenue constituted revenue earned from renting out its terminal building premises to airline operators, from hoardings and display advertisements, snack bar, car park, travel requisite stall, restaurant and the like.
As the number of flight movements went up, the revenue also increased. The number of aircraft movements went up from 6,268 in 2006-07 to 10,019 in the last financial year, he said. The passenger traffic at the airport went up from 4.74 lakh to 7.13 lakh.
The airport had made no profit in the previous five years — from 2001-02 to 2005-06. Its operating loss in 2005-06 stood at Rs. 2.8 crore.
Construction work
Referring to the on-going construction of new terminal building and apron on the premises of the airport, he said 40 per cent of the work had been completed. He said that concrete works of the basement of the building had also been completed. More than 40 per cent of the concrete works of the first floor had been completed.
Some critical construction material for the erection of roof of the building are expected to arrive from Jamshedpur in a few days.
Apron (parking facility for aircraft) works alone had been completed up to 75 per cent. The apron can accommodate five aircraft, four Airbus 310 and one Airbus 321, at a time.
Works on the construction of two aerobridges were under progress. This will enable passengers to board the flight from the security hold area in the first floor. Ground floor would have the offices of AAI, shops, arrival and departure halls. The basement would have check-in counters of airlines, immigration and custom offices, he said.

Change of Timing: Mangalore - Bahrain - Doha Flight

2008-04-02T19:53:00.000-07:00

Change of Timing: Mangalore - Bahrain - Doha Flight
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore
Mangalore, April 2: In a short but official notice communicated by Chellam Prasad, manager of Air India Mangalore region has informed Daijiworld that the departure timing of Air India Express of Mangalore-Bahrain-Doha from Mangalore airport has been rescheduled from its earlier timing 18.10 hrs to 16.10 hrs with effect from April 3.
The flight will take-off two hours earlier than the existing departure time.
Currently three flights are operating weekly (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday) between Mangalore-Doha-Bahrain.
However, there will be no changes in the existing departure timing from Bahrain and Doha.
Prasad requested passengers to cooperate with the new timing

Mangalore: Another flight to Bangalore

2008-03-31T05:37:00.000-07:00

MANGALORE March 31: With the Kingfisher Airlines launching another flight between Mangalore and Bangalore on Sunday, the number of daily flights between the two cities has risen to six.
Of them, the Deccan (formerly Air Deccan) operates two flights, Kingfisher Airlines two and Jet Airways two.
The new flight launched by the Kingfisher Airlines departed from Bangalore at 6.30 a.m. and arrived here at 7.30 a.m. It took off from here at 8 a.m. and landed in Bangalore at 8.55 a.m., Kaustav Nath, Mangalore Airport Manager for Kingfisher Airlines Ltd and Deccan, told The Hindu. "The flight will maintain these schedules, henceforth," he said.
Mr. Nath said that the Kingfisher Airlines had changed the schedule of its evening daily flight between the two cities from Sunday. It would be arriving in Mangalore from Bangalore at 4.30 p.m. and departing at 5.10 p.m. "As per the changed schedule, it will depart from Bangalore at 7.30 p.m. and arrive here at 8.30 p.m. It will take off from here at 9 p.m. and reach Bangalore at 9.55 p.m. It is the last flight between the port city and the State capital city," he said.
He said that with the introduction of the early morning and late evening flights between the two cities, passengers could return to their home cities the same day, after completing their work. The timings of two flights of the Deccan between the two cities have also been revised from Sunday.
The first morning flight of the Deccan from Bangalore was hitherto arriving here at 9.20 a.m. and departing at 9.35 a.m. Now it will take off from Bangalore at 9 a.m. and land here at 10 a.m. It will depart from here at 10.25 a.m. and reach Bangalore at 11.25 a.m. Another evening flight operated from Deccan, which was arriving here at 4.55 p.m. and departing at 5.30 p.m., will henceforth depart from Bangalore at 4.30 p.m. and arrive here at 5.30 p.m. It will leave from here at 6 p.m. and reach Bangalore at 7 p.m.
Flight to Goa
Mr. Nath said that the Kingfisher Airlines had revised the schedule of its Kozhikode-Mangalore-Goa flight from Sunday. "It will arrive here from Kozhikode at 1.30 p.m. and depart to Goa at 2 p.m. It will land here from Goa at 4.30 p.m. and take off to Kozhikode at 5 p.m.," he said.
Hindu

Progress & Process: Have a Look at New Terminal of Mangalore Airport

2008-03-18T03:54:00.001-07:00

Progress & Process: Have a Look at New Terminal of Mangalore Airport

By Melka Miyar - Daijiworld Media Network

March 18, 2008Pics: Prajwal Ukkuda

Daijiworld Media Network
Work on the new Mangalore International Airport terminal at Kenjar village here is fast gaining momentum and the airport is expected to commence operations on schedule. However, the lethargic attitude and laxity shown by the local authorities has been proving a hurdle for the overall development of the airport and its surrounding areas.

Plans for the new project were actually put on paper in the year 1988. Now the terminal building is under construction and is expected to complete in December this year. Meanwhile, new plans for Calicut International Airport, the nearest airport to Mangalore, began four years later in 1992, and ironically, Calicut's world-class terminal building already started operating even before the same could happen in Mangalore. However, though Mangalore Airport lagged behind, time has come now to boom to a greater height.

The new airport terminal building under construction at Kenjar is expected to commission its work in March 2009, marking another milestone in the history of Mangalore International Airport. The construction work is going on in full swing, and it is easy to perceive from the speed of work that it is bound to complete in time.

There will be 28 check-in counters, several conveyor belts and inline security checking system. Five aerobridges (passage between the terminal and aircraft) will also be introduced.
A whole new world of opportunities opened to Mangaloreans with the commencement of the international airport. In the meantime, work was started to construct new taxiway and terminal building. The dynamism and zeal of present airport director M R Vasudeva has taken this airport to splendid heights in a short span of time. It is indeed a matter of great pride especially to a remote village like Kenjar to have a world-class airport in its vicinity.
Though world-class facilities are available at Calicut International Airport, it lacks domestic connection. But the case of Mangalore Airport is different. Unlike Calicut, Mangalore enjoys air connections with Mumbai, Goa and Bangalore. Therefore, Mangalore has a greater potential in terms of air traffic movement, say experts.
Mangalore is the only city in Karnataka to have such a sophisticated and well-equipped airport with international flights. Though it is tempting to pat ourselves on the back, there is still a long way to go. The construction of the concrete road connecting the city with the airport is moving on at snail's pace and the condition of the present road is pathetic to say the least.
'Most of my energy has gone into acquisition of land for the new terminal. It required a lot of patience to negotiate with the owners of these plots, listen to their pleas and arrange for compensation, thereby avoiding conflicts and protests. I am very happy for what I have achieved for the people of Mangalore. This could have been even better, if all the external agencies andthe local citizens had worked together hand in hand.'
'Now I have to concentrate more on completing the construction work of the new terminal before the scheduled time,' says Vasudeva.

Air Cargo Facility:
Meanwhile, all the possibilities of cargo export should be explored in the coming days. Only perishable goods, printed items and stationeries have been transported from Mangalore Airport to some parts of the country so far. Opportunities are now open at the global level and it is the right time to think about exporting cargo from Mangalore as the present airport at Bajpe will be left idle after the commission of the new airport, if sufficient cargo is not available.
Once the terminal is shifted to the new place, existing terminal will be used exclusively for cargo handling.

Already there are quite a number of leading shipping companies eyeing to set up base in Bajpe surroundings which is definitely a sign of progress. Even Gulf-based freight forward companies are planning to step on to Mangalore soil.

Apart from being used for the movement of cargo, it can be utilized for handling international flights during Haj pilgrimage, Vasudeva said. There is scope for `Flying Club' as well in the future.

Traffic Growth:
The growth in the air traffic in Mangalore also signifies that there is a bright prospect for development if the opportunities are explored strategically. In the year 2005, a total of 3,700 flights were recorded here and the number is expected to touch 8,600 this year. Meanwhile, the 483-meter-long taxiway constructed at a cost of Rs 3.7 crore is also ready for traffic now.
This has ensured more safety to the aircraft while saving fuel and time owing to the flexibility of operation. Also, 30% of the work related to the new integrated terminal building at an estimated cost Rs 147 crore has been completed and 70% of the work on the construction of apron and three remote parking stands is also over. This terminal will also include check-in counters, conveyor belts and inline security.
Moreover, space has been reserved for taxi parking right in front of the terminal building. The parking lot can accomodate a total of 300 taxis at a time. The basement of the terminal building has been reserved for commercial activities like shopping, cafeteria and flight ticketing while the ground floor has been reserved for airport activities. M R Vasudeva is hopeful of completing the basic structure of the terminal building by May this year and realizing the dream by March 2009.
Nevertheless, major responsibilities come later. Other agencies like state government, private investors, road transport owners and even railway department have to think of ways to explore the opportunities created by the new airport.

Flight to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia:
Thousands of NRIs who reside in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia are demanding direct flight from Mangalore since the commencement of international airport at Bajpe.
The airport is all set to accept any international flight from Kuwait and Saudi Arabian airports. Nor are there any legal hurdles to commission direct flight between Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Mangalore. But the ball is in Air India Express' court. It is a million dollar question as to when Air India Express will start direct flights between the three places.

Air India Express' Concern:
Since AI Express is a budget airline, it can fly for maximum 4.5 hrs. The distant between Kuwait - Mangalore and Saudi Arabia Airport - Mangalore would be more than its capacity. Unless new aircraft are acquired, Air India Express cannot start direct flights between these territories. However, there are possibilities of connecting Kuwait - Abu Dhabi or Kuwait - Muscat - Mangalore. Air India Express is also facing a crisis regarding pilots and quite a few pilots hired by AI Express are foreigners.
According to sources, Jet Airways is trying hard to enter the Kuwait - Mangalore and Dammam - Mangalore sector, but none of the top officials are confirming this news, but say 'Be positive, we will come there soon.'
Perhaps, once Air India - Indian Airline merger process completes this sector will have a clear way for introducing direct flights.
Until then let us cross our fingers and wait for the D-day.

M'lore: Customer Satisfaction Index of Bajpe Airport Rises

2008-01-29T03:52:00.000-08:00

The Hindu
MANGALORE, Jan 29: Even as the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has added new infrastructure facilities at Bajpe (Mangalore) airport during the last three years, the customers have ranked this airport high in providing services.
As per a customer satisfaction survey of airports by an agency for the AAI, Mangalore Airport has scored the highest ranking in the customer satisfaction index among domestic airports in South India.
The survey covered different aspects of an airport. It included attitude of AAI employees, the police and other security personnel, cleanliness at the airport and general aesthetics, drinking water facilities, guidance signage, flight information system, audio system and quality of trolley services. It also studied other facilities such as car parking, ATM service, post office, illumination, bookstall and other working conditions at the airport.
The survey by the Delhi-based Spectrum Planning (India) Ltd. has said that the customer satisfaction index of Mangalore airport had gone up from 75 per cent to 81 per cent between early 2007 and late 2007.
The first round of survey was conducted between February and April 2007 and the second between August and October.
Among the domestic airports of AAI in South India, Mangalore airport has scored the highest customer satisfaction index, M.R. Vasudeva, director of Mangalore airport, told The Hindu.
The agency interviewed 653 customers during the survey. Of them, 284 people were departing passengers and 234 arriving.
As many as 110 visitors to the airport, 11 concessionaries such as shopkeepers and employees of restaurants at the airport, personnel of seven aircraft operators and seven regulatory authorities were also interviewed.
Facilities
The AAI had built a new air-conditioned arrival hall and extended its departure hall to handle at least 250 passengers at a time at both the halls, last year. Introduction of round-the-clock air traffic services for over flying aircraft, setting up of category I Instrument Landing System (ILS) facility, laying a concrete runway (second one) in addition to the bituminous old run way, opening the airport for flight services to West Asia, converting the airport to a profit earning entity, and introduction exchange facility (by a private agency) are some of the major developments at the airport in the last three years. Aircraft operators introduced new flight services to Mumbai and Bangalore, including a late evening flight to Bangalore.
New flight services began to Goa, Kochi and Kozhikode.
A state-of-the art integrated terminal building and associated facilities are being built at the airport at an estimated cost of Rs. 147 crores.

Railway station near Bajpe Airport to be pursued with Railways

2008-01-25T00:31:00.000-08:00

The Hindu
MANGALORE Jan 25: The Dakshina Kannada district administration will take up the issue of constructing a railway station at Porkodi near Bajpe Airport with the Southern Railway, district in-charge secretary Bharatlal Meena has said. "Deputy Commissioner M. Maheshwar Rao will write to the railway authorities in this regard soon and the State Government will pursue the matter with them," he added.
Briefing presspersons after reviewing the development activities here on Thursday, Mr. Meena said the meeting had considered a request from Airports Authority of India to acquire 55 acres of land for a parallel taxiway and an additional 80 acres to extend the new runway at Bajpe.
"The State Government will meet the cost of land acquisition," Mr. Meena said and added that he would take up the matter with the Infrastructure Department.
Rangamandira
Stating that contractors had not come forward to bid for the construction of Rangamandira at Kadri, Mr. Meena said, "The last date for submitting the bids is January 28. If the impasse continues, the administration may well entrust the task to Karnataka Land Army Corporation."
The engineering division of Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat had extended the last date to submit bids for the project four times.
Vented dam
On the second vented dam at Thumbay to meet the drinking water needs of residents of Mangalore, he said Mr. Rao was in touch with the Urban Development Department in that regard. The Karnataka Power Corporation might be asked to construct the dam with the corporation and State Government sharing its estimated cost of Rs. 40 crore equally.
Action plan would be prepared for the rail over-bridges or under-bridges at various locations, including one each at Padil and Jeppu.
The administration had brought the matter to the notice of the Principal Secretary, Department of Infrastructure, Mr. Meena said.
Stating that he would take it up with the Railway Ministry, he expressed confidence about the Ministry clearing the proposals.
The Mangalore Urban Development Authority and Mangalore City Corporation would identify the locations for commercial complexes at Hampankatta, Urwa Stores and Urwa Market, Mr. Meena said.
Drinking water
Mr. Rao said the corporation would shortly float expression of interest for the projects to be taken up on a public-private partnership basis. This would help these bodies earn a regular income through the venture, he said.
Mangalore Electricity Supply Company Ltd. had been directed to energise all drinking water projects on priority in view of the impending summer.
In addition, taluks had been told to submit action plans to address water scarcity problem during summer.
Their demands would be projected to the Government for sanctioning additional funds, he said.
Demand for water transportation in certain places through tanker would be considered on priority, he added.
Training for youth
The administration was in touch with the Director of Employment Training to provide vocational education to unemployed youth in the district, Mr. Meena said. "We are contemplating on using the funds from the Ministry of NRI Affairs for training youth who want to work abroad. Steps will be taken to harness the potential of Industrial Training Institutes in providing the training for youth. It will enable the youth to build their career," he added.

M'lore: Setting up of Cargo Terminal at Bajpe Airport in Limbo

2008-01-25T00:24:00.000-08:00

Indian Express
MANGALORE, Jan 24: The Mangalore Airport Authority of India (AAI) and the Customs department are in a fix over the setting up of a cargo terminal at the Airport.
The AAI has proposed to establish the cargo terminal at the existing airport once the construction of a new terminal near Kenjar completes.
But unless the Customs department utilises provisions under section 8 of Customs Act 1962, AAI will not be able to handle any cargo from Mangalore Airport for international destination.
The ball is now in court of the Customs department and has to declare the airport as Customs Airport for handling of cargo, sources stress.
But the Customs department insists that the AAI has to undertake custodianship for cargo clearance. Incidentally, AAI has no provision to undertake custodianship.
Under `Customs Law Manual’, Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) is the final authority to approve Cargo Terminal for an airport in India.
Mangalore Airport Director M R Vasudeva told this website that he would discuss the issue with Chief Commissioner of Customs, Heera Radhakrishnan, who will be in the city to participate in the International Customs Day celebrations.
Many agencies, he informed, had come forward to undertake the cargo handling agency in the Mangalore Airport. The cargo terminal would be functional once an approval is obtained from Customs, Vasudev added.
Unless the Customs department declares Mangalore airport as `customs aerodrome’ that handles cargo, tenders cannot be invited. Hence, clearance from the Customs department is awaited for the realisation of the project.
Meanwhile, Customs faces an acute shortage of staff to manage the cargo terminal duty.

Big increase in air passenger traffic in 2007

2008-01-13T06:34:00.000-08:00

Raviprasad Kamila
6.75 lakh passengers used the airport last year

MANGALORE: Bajpe (Mangalore) Airport of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has received a shot in the arm as the passenger traffic at the airport increased by 2.35 lakh in 2007. This was the first time ever that the passenger traffic increased so hugely in one year.
In all, 6.75 lakh passengers used this airport between January and December 2007 compared to 4.39 lakh passengers in 2006. M.R. Vasudeva, director of the airport, attributed the growth in traffic to increase in the number of international and domestic flights last year. Of those who travelled through the airport last year, 20 per cent were international passengers, he said.
Of the passenger traffic handled by the airport last year, 5.36 lakh were domestic passengers and 1.38 lakh international passengers.
According to a study, the number of passengers who arrived at the airport in 2007 was 3.35 lakh against 2.13 lakh in the previous year. As many as 3.39 lakh passengers flew from here in 2007 against 2.26 lakh in 2006. Mr. Vasudeva said: “This may be because passengers from West Asia fly directly to Mangalore from places such as Dubai, Abudhabi, Muscat and Bahrain. While returning, some of them fly through Mumbai. “This is one of the reasons for more number of arrivals,” he said.A study of annual passenger traffic between 1998 and 2007 reveals that the number of passengers arriving at the airport was always more than those flying back from here. For example, in 1998, 1.15 lakh passengers arrived and 1.05 lakh passengers departed from here. In 2004, 1.36 lakh arrived and 1.27 lakh departed, and in 2005, 1.43 lakh arrived and 1.33 lakh departed from the airport.Morning flight soon
Sources at the airport said that a private operator who had planned to operate a late evening flight between Mangalore and Bangalore had dropped the proposal. Instead, the same operator was planning to introduce an early morning flight between the two cities.

Mangalore: State Government Recommends Intl Status for Bajpe Airport

2008-01-03T23:30:00.000-08:00

Mangalore: State Government Recommends Intl Status for Bajpe Airport
The Hindu
MANGALORE, Dec 3 2009 : Chief Secretary Sudhakar Rao said here on Monday that the State Government will take steps to send a proposal to the Union Government recommending international airport status to Mangalore airport. Mangalore airport is a domestic customs airport.
He was replying to queries from presspersons at Kenjar where the Airports Authority of India is building an integrated terminal building for Mangalore airport. Earlier, Rao inspected ongoing work at the terminal building.
Rao said that he was not aware of the fact that the State Government was yet to send the proposal to the Union Government. “I will take it up with the Civil Aviation Secretary after completing the formalities,” he said.
About the slow pace of work to lay a road to the new terminal building by the Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development and Finance Corporation, he said: “We will take care of it.”
Rao said that the airport officials too had brought this to his notice. They told him that the new terminal building was expected to be ready by February next. If the connecting road was not ready by then, it will create problem.
The Chief Secretary said that he was aware of the importance of road connectivity to the new terminal building as a similar situation existed in Bangalore before the international airport at Devanahalli was inaugurated.
M.R. Vasudeva, director of the airport, briefed him about the ongoing work. The director said that about 70 per cent of the work had been completed.
Meantime, Daijiworld has learnt from reliable sources, that the transfer of the airport director Vasudeva Rao has been temporarily put on hold. Rao is expected to continue as the director without promotion, till the new airport terminal becomes operational.
It may be recalled, that Vasudeva Rao was promoted as the general manager and posted to Coimbatore International Airport sometime back.

AAI studies feasibility of runway expansion

2007-12-27T00:42:00.000-08:00

The Hindu -Raviprasad Kamila
Bajpe airport cannot accommodate large planes such as the Airbus 300 and the Boeing 747SP

MANGALORE 26 Dec : Will Bajpe (Mangalore) airport of the Airports Authority of India (AAI) be able to accommodate larger aircraft such as the Airbus 300 and the Boeing 747SP in the near future? Presently it is not possible as the existing main runway has to be expanded if those aircraft are to be operated. But it is not a Herculean task, provided the State Government takes immediate measures to fill up a 75-ft valley on the eastern and western sides of the main runway and hands over the land to the AAI. The AAI is keen on expanding the runway, and a team of senior AAI officials, headed by Asha Ram, Executive Director, Aviation Safety, AAI, Delhi, arrived here on Wednesday to study the proposal and make an analysis of the risks involved. The team members discussed the aspects related to it with M.R. Vasudeva, director of the airport, pilots and other section heads at the airport. Though the AAI has taken the initiative to expand the runway, the State Government has to ensure that the valley is filled up and the land handed over the AAI.
Sources in the AAI said that at present the length of the main runway is 2,450 metres. Its length had to be extended at least by 350 metres to take the total length to 2,800 metres and more. The portion on the eastern side of the runway had to be extended by 250 metres and the one on the western side by 100 metres.
To operate the Boeing 747SP, the length of the runway should be 2,710 metres. The Airbus 330-200 requires a runway length of 2,700 metres. These larger aircraft could take off with a restricted load of 340 tonnes. The Bajpe airport now handles aircraft such as the Airbus 310 and the Boeing 737, which can take off with a load of 165 tonnes. Cargo flights and larger passenger planes can operate from here if the length of the runway is extended. Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Ram said that the Area Control Centre at the Bajpe airport started providing air traffic services for 24 hours to over flying flights two years ago. This was an important milestone in the development of the airport and safety aspects of aircraft. With this, pilots could fly with more confidence and safety. These air traffic services could be availed of even up to Mumbai. Earlier, the services were restricted to 13 hours. Earlier, Mr. Ram inaugurated the expanded departure hall at the airport which can accommodate 250 passengers at a time.

Mangalore: Deccan Aviation to Start International Flight from Bajpe Next Year

2007-11-17T04:53:00.000-08:00

Mangalore: Deccan Aviation to Start International Flight from Bajpe Next Year
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (MM/NR)Pic - Ganesh S Perla
Mangalore, Nov 17: The Deccan Aviation Company will be starting an international flight from Mangalore international airport in 2008, informed Captain G R Gopinath, executive chairman of the company.
Delivering a talk on the topic ‘Opportunities and challenges in aviation industry,’ at Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) office here on Friday November 16 evening, he disclosed the above information. However, he did not say anything about the destination point.
Going back to his earlier days of struggle, he said that, when he had left the defence services, he had just Rs 6,380 which he got as gratuity. He also mentioned about how much he had to struggle in his life after that point. However, he firmly opined that one’s goals could be achieved if a person has commitment, passion and clear vision.
In his speech Captain Gopinath observed that he found billions of hungry consumers around him and he often thought about them. According to him the men on the street are regularly purchasing TV, fridge and other consumer items. However, when it comes to air tickets they were not buying any air ticket, owing to exorbitant rates. Hence, he thought of introducing this cheapest air service especially for the middle class people, he pointed out.
“Linking small towns to big capital cities is essential to increase the total air traffic segment. It is for this reason Deccan then introduced air services to smaller towns. With this in view, Deccan purchased several aircrafts within a few years what Indian Airlines could achieve in 50 years,” he proudly declared.
India and China are representing the dreams and future prospects of the world. India is today within range of such infinite possibilities. The country too is aspiring for such possibilities and this in turn has helped Deccan to achieve a lot to a large extent. Hence in this context he proudly predicted that the country is heading for a “Golden Age”
On the occasion Gopinath was felicitated by Ananthakrishna, chairman of Karnataka Bank, on behalf of KCCI. Ananthakrishna said that a person who takes unconventional decisions is always a successful person. According to him, Captain Gopinath took such unconventional decisions and achieved success in his work. He ensured that, a person from the agricultural field also can fly in aircraft. Nowhere in any other part of the country this kind of attempt has been made, Ananthakrisha eulogized about Captain Gopinath.
KCCI president Kumble Narasinha Prabhu, office-bearers Ahmed Bava, Shrinivas S Kamath, Shekhar Poojary and Mohandas Prabhu were present on the dais.

Mangalore: Non Arrival of Flight Irks Passengers at Bajpe Airport

2007-11-13T04:50:00.000-08:00

Mangalore: Non-arrival of Flight Irks Passengers at Bajpe Airport
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (KD/NR)
Mangalore, Nov 13: Due to the non-arrival of the flight, passengers of Mangalore-Dubai flight vented out their ire against the Air India Express staff at Bajpe airport here on Monday, November 12.
For some time there was a tense situation prevailing at the air port premises. However the authorities concerned including the airport director M R Vasudeva quickly took matters in hand and intervened, thereby bringing the tense situation under control.
Vasudeva informed about the reason for delay in the said flight. According to him the flight was scheduled to arrive at 11:15 am from Calicut and expected to leave for Dubai at 12:00 pm, but then it was held up in Abu Dhabi following a technical snag. Hence this rendered the pilot helpless to remedy the situation.
As regards the delay in the flight arrival, this matter was informed to a few passengers but the remaining 75 passengers were not informed that the flight will not be arriving on Monday, leaving them in a lurch.
Vasudeva clarified that the authorities concerned had made all necessary arrangements for the passengers to stay in a hotel and had also paid a sum of Rs 1000 each to the uninformed 75 passengers as compensation.
However, the major grouse of the passengers was that they were not informed in advance, thereby causing a great deal of inconvenience for them.

Airport New Terminal Building Ready by April 2009

2007-11-10T05:53:00.000-08:00

The Hindu
Mangalore, Nov 10: The additional premises of Mangalore Airport at Kenjar comprising new runway and terminal building will be completely functional by April 2009, said Transport, Civil Aviation and Tourism Parliamentary Standing Committee Member B Janardhana Poojary.
“As per contract, the works of terminal building will be completed by September 2008. Later, the offices of various aviation companies will also be shifted to the new premises. Thus, the new set up will be totally commissioned by April 2009,” he stated.
Poojary, who is also the member of Rajya Sabha, visited the airport on Friday and inspected the progress of the ongoing constructions. “About 35 per cent of the total construction has been over. A sum of Rs 55 crore has been spent for the new runway. Besides runway, the total project expenditure is Rs 147 crore,” he stated.
The upgradation works of the entire airport will cost Rs 210 crore. If a new proposal is sent for additional amount apart from the already sanctioned money (Rs 147 crore), that will also be provided. There is no scarcity of finance, he noted.
Nearer to Mangalore
The new Integrated Passenger Terminal Building being built at Kenjar for the past 4 months is about 16 km away from the City. The present Bajpe airport is at a distance of 8 km from this new set up. Thus, airport facility will be further nearer to the customers in the days to come. The new runway is 8,038 ft in length; 150 ft in width. The old runway is of 5,330 ft length. There will be 28 check-in counters in the new terminal building.
The State government has owned the responsibility of rehabilitating the displaced as a result of the new project. Most of the residents have already shifted. But there are still 20 families, out of whom many have agreed to be shifted. The set us is being laid in an area of 40 acres. If car parking space included, it will be 70 acres. The overall area to be used for the airport is 47,000 sq km Poojary explained.
Airport Director M R Vasudeva said the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest has just given green signal for the new set up just two days back. He said the present airport at Bajpe will be used for cargo movement, landing and take off of corporate and small flights.
Poojary expressed his satisfaction towards the speed in which the total project is progressing.

First Flight Anniversary: A Year since the Map of Mangalore Changed

2007-10-03T23:08:00.000-07:00

Compiled by Melka Miyar - Pictures: Dayanand Kukkaje

October 3, 2007
720 international flights have landed in Bajpe Airport. Now the door is open for Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha and Muscat from here. About 6 lac passengers have used this airport over the past one year. Out of these, around 1.07 lac are international passengers
It is the first anniversary celebration for all those who are enjoying the benefits of the landing of the first-ever international flight at Bajpe on October 3, 2006.
Mangaloreans back home and abroad were overwhelmed when the historic Air India Express touched the new runway at the airport on that momentous day. Thousands of people, including India's civil aviation minister Praful Patel and a number of other state and union ministers and top officials, had then welcomed the maiden flight's passengers at Bajpe.
A year has passed, with many milestones crossed since then, and the first flight heralded flights to many more destinations. Within five months, Abu Dhabi-Muscat-Mangalore connectivity was introduced, followed by Doha-Bahrain-Mangalore in the following month.
Moreover, on the economic front, Mangalore has seen tremendous growth, with an added advantage of an all-weather international sea-port. Huge investments in the pipeline, multinationals have set their food outlets, property prices shot up and lifestyle has changed. Many new players in commercial activities have shown interest in investing in Mangalore.
In a word, Mangalore has shown signs of a fasting-growing commercial hub of the nation. Except the pathetic roads, many things have shown progress in positive directions.

Air-borne good news
From October 28, 2007 Air India Express will be flying on a daily basis from Dubai to Mangalore.
There are other two destinations under immediate consideration by Air India express. The officials are very hopeful of Kuwait-Mangalore and Salalah-Mangalore flights being launched very soon.
The only destination left out is the Saudi Arabia sector. Pending execution of a bilateral agreement, this destination needs to wait for some more months, unless any private airline takes the initiative of grabbing the opportunity.
On account of the successful completion of the first year of operation, Air India Express COO Capt P P Singh, Mangalore Air India chief Ms Chellam Prasad and indeed Bajpe airport director M R Vasudeva, a Mangalorean and the architecht of tremendous development work, including the international flights, that all Mangaloreans would be proud of, spoke exclusively to daijiworld on this glorious achievement.

"Mangalore has been one of the major sectors for us..." - Captain PP Singh

Mangalore has been one of the major sectors for us. We had begun 3 flights from Dubai and later on we added two from Abu Dhabi-Muscat and another two from Doha-Bahrain.
In the past year, we have had more than 90 per cent load in the Dubai sector, around 80% on the Abu Dhabi-Muscat sector. Doha-Bahrain was not much of an encouraging sector, with around 65-70% load, but we are expecting a higher load factor this winter schedule.
Taking into account all this, we have planned to introduce daily flights to Dubai, 4 to Abu Dhabi-Muscat and 3 to Bahrain-Doha in the coming winter schedule, although we have not published this yet. We will include additional flights at the earliest.
P P singh added that the "latest development is that we have detached the Dubai flights from Amritsar-Delhi route, and instead linked it to Calicut, thereby solving the recurring problem of fog, which inconvenienced a large number of Mangaloreans with the resultant delays last winter. Since initially heavy pressure was exerted on us, we had no option but to introduce these flights from Delhi-based aircraftd because of limited aircraft that time. But now we have enough number of aircraft and we can think of new options.
Mangaloreans are lucky to have someone like Rajesh Sequeira, coordinator of the Karnataka NRI Forum, who has been with us not only to start the operations to Mangalore but to bring in new destinations. His support and suggestions have helped us as an airline, since being in the avaition field, he is well-versed with everything. In accordance with his plea, we are going to introduce the Mangalore-Kuwait flight soon, which is yet another achievement for us. We are planning to operate flights on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

"It was a golden-lettered day....." - M R Vasudeva, director of Mangalore airport
October3, 2006 was a day, which should be regarded as the golden letter day in the annals of the Mangalore Airport, says M R Vasudeva, director of Mangalore airport.
"This is so because the first international flight landed here on that day. By now, about 720 international flights have landed here. Now the door is open for Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha and Muscat from here. About 6 lac passengers have used this airport over the past one year. Out of these, around 1.07 lac are international passengers. A total 10% increase has been registered in the air traffic movement and 17% increase in passenger movement after the commencement of international flight here.
"Yes, there was pressure in handling the passengers in the initial stages. But now the pressure has been eased by improving the infrastructural facilities in the airport. Separate offices have been allotted to immigration and customs department. Therefore now there is not as much pressure as seen in the earlier days.
"Earlier, there used to be congestion at the departure zone. Now the congestion has been eased by extending the existing departure hall to the city side. At the same time, the airport authority has already jumped on the bandwagon of a new integrated terminal which is expected to be completed by December 2008 or January 2009. Apron, aerobridges and other necessary infrastructure will be constructed within this time-frame. But the delay in the acquisition of land has hampered the work on the new integrated terminal building. On the other hand, the construction of new road from the terminal building to the city needs to be completed before the terminal building work ends," said M R Vasudeva.

"Mangalore airport has started earning operating profit only after the commencement of international flight service by Air India Express..." - Chellam Prasad, Manager, Air India, Mangalore
When the international flight landed at Mangalore airport a year ago, there were many challenges on hand for the Air India Express officials, says Chellam Prasad, manager of Air India Express here.
Referring to the initial problems, it is quite common that lack of experience resulted in various difficulties. But many problems have been gradually solved over the last one year, she asserted.
International aircraft owned by Air India Express are only operating from Mangalore Airport. Because of the pressure from domestic aircraft during daytime, the Air India Express personnel had to start their work at airport only after 7 pm. Even they experienced the shortage of CISF personnel, immigration and customs problems, limited counter and had to manage with a single x-ray machine for both domestic and international flight customers. But the recent addition of facilities at the airport has created new hope and a sense of relief among Air India Express officials.
No doubt there is a good scope for the development of international passenger movement here. All flights departing from here bring in good amount of revenue for the airport authority and the airline exchequer. The Mangalore airport started earning operating profit only after the commencement of international flight service by Air India Express.
There is a huge demand from customers for Gulf flights. In each Dubai flight, an average number of 180 passengers fly from Mangalore. That is why flights will be increased to Gulf. Even people from Kannur in Kerala and Bhatkal in Karwar (Uttar Kannada) district use Mangalore airport to fly to Gulf countries, says Sanjay Lokeshwar, assistant officer of customer services here.
The Air India Express authorities are hopeful of introducing flight services to Kuwait from Mangalore. Even NRIs are demanding flights to Saudi Arabia. But the diplomatic issues have delayed the commencement of these flights. If the aircraft start flying to these countries, there will be a heavy pressure on Mangalore airport. Hence, the officials are demanding the completion of new terminal building as early as possible. The terminal building will come up soon if a dynamic person like M R Vasudeva will continue as the director of Mangalore airport for the next few years, says Sunil John, security in-charge of Air India Express.