Karnataka - Mysore   

Commercial flights yet to take off at Mysore airport

— PHOTO: M.A. SRIRAM

No activity: So far not a single private or State-operated airline has evinced interest in operating flights to Mysore city.

MYSORE: It has been two months since the Mysore airport was declared ready for commercial operations, but so far not a single private or State-operated airline has evinced interest in operating flights to the city.

Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa had directed that the Mysore airport should be ready before the commencement of Dasara on September 19 and the Airports Authority of India completed all works on September 15.

But with the airline industry badly affected by the economic slowdown, private players are not keen on exploring new routes and destinations, and Mysore does not figure in the winter schedule announced by the airline industry.

Though State Government officials here maintained that they were awaiting clearance from the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to commence commercial flights, other sources maintained that obtaining clearance from DGCA was a secondary issue.

“Securing clearance will be a matter of time as the airport meets the stipulated standards and safety parameters. DGCA inspection for clearance will take place once the airline operators announce their flight schedule without which the Airports Authority of India (AAI) will not post its personnel for manning the airport. What will the AAI staff do without any flights operating from the city,” they asked.

Though chartered flights are being operated, commercial operations are yet to commence.

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner of Mysore P. Manivannan told The Hindu that a meeting of stakeholders is slated to be held within a week or two to convince the airline operators about the financial viability of operating flights to and from Mysore. He said the issue was also discussed with Principal Secretary of Tourism Jothiramalingam who, Mr. Manivannan said, was optimistic that the Mysore airport would be a success in view of its importance as a tourist destination.

It was pointed out that Mysore received around 2.5 million tourists throughout the year. That the airport is ready to handle traffic can be gauged from the number of chartered flights that are frequently using the facility. During the just-concluded TED conference, the authorities here handled about eight flights on a single day, according to the AAI officials.

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