Madurai will get air connectivity to two more cities, as Spicejet has proposed to introduce its daily flight service to Vijayawada via Bangalore from July 19.
Chairing the Airport Advisory Committee meeting here on Saturday, its Chairperson and Virudhunagar MP B. Manicka Tagore, said the performance of Madurai airport has seen a leap with an increase of 31 per cent of passengers flying to and from the airport.
“This is despite grounding of operations of two flight services from Madurai airport as the industry was going through a bad phase,” he said.
Madurai was already connected with the metro cities of Chennai, New Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad and Kochi. With the introduction of the new Spicejet service, Madurai would be connected to seven cities.
According to Spicejet schedule, the SG-3302, will leave Bangalore at 7.35 a.m. and land in Madurai at 8.30 a.m.
It would take off from Madurai at 8.50 a.m. to reach Bangalore at 9.40 a.m. Again it will leave Bangalore at 10.05 a.m. to reach Vijayawada at 11.20 a.m.
Bangalore-Madurai fare will be Rs. 3,592 and the fare for Madurai-Bangalore route is Rs. 3,340.
Mr. Tagore said that after the announcement of Mihin Lanka to operate a Colombo-Madurai-Colombo flight service from September, Spicejet too is likely to launch its Madurai-Colombo-Madurai service. Spicejet has got clearance from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation for the service, he added.
The committee also discussed the issue of land acquisition for extension of the runway. “Corporation officials have attended the meeting for the first time, after the expansion of the city. We have asked them to take up the issue of realignment of Ring Road at the Corporation council meeting,” Mr. Tagore said.
Airport Controller K. Sangiah Pandian, Corporation Chief Town Planning Officer M. Rakkappan, senior president of Tamil Nadu Chamber of Commerce and Industry S. Rethinavelu, representatives of Travel Club, including its president B.S.G. Mustafa, and representatives of various airliners were present.
