Director of the Mangalore Airport M.R. Vasudeva said here on Friday that the airport officials were hopeful that the Customs Department would permit the airport to handle cargo.
Speaking on “Mangalore Airport, past, present and future” at St. Aloysius College, he said that the Airports Authority of India (AAI) was ready for taking the custodianship of cargo.
The airport had planned to start cargo operations from its old terminal building at Bajpe.
Automatic tower
He said that the AAI had planned to set up an automatic aerodrome tower system at the airport to reduce stress on air traffic controllers managing air traffic services.
The airport provided air traffic services to flights operating in 256 nautical miles radius of the airport.
The director said that this year's Haj flight services at the airport would begin in October.
He said that the State Government was expected to take up work on developing the exit road of the airport at an estimated cost of Rs. 7 crore after this monsoon.
Demand
Mr. Vasudeva said that unless there was demand from passengers to operate flights to other destinations other than West Asia, airlines would not come forward to operate flights to those destinations.
The director said that the airport was safe for operating flights.
There were many hill top airports in the world.
St. Aloysius College Alumni Association organised the talk.
