A day ahead of Dasara, it is all systems go at the Mysuru airport for the first flight under the Centre’s regional connectivity scheme UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik), on Wednesday.
As the first flight by TruJet lands at 6.50 p.m. from Chennai, the passengers will be accorded a traditional reception. Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha is expected to be among those flying in, and the first flight out of Mysuru will be flagged off by him at 7.10 p.m.
Airport Director M.N. Singh said all systems are in place. Since Mysuru airport is equipped with night landing and take off facilities, the late evening flights were approved. He said the response for the inaugural flight was good, with more than 40 tickets booked in each direction on the Chennai-Mysuru and Mysuru-Chennai sector.
The authorities are optimistic of additional flights and new routes as Bharat Petroleum has created a refuelling facility. “So far, flights to Mysuru used to carry double the fuel — for the return flight as well. But with refuelling facility, they can accommodate additional passengers due to reduced load,” said Mr. Singh. It has more equipment for rescue and fire-fighting than what is prescribed for a Category 5 Airport, besides a portable and inflatable emergency light tower that can be used at night.
TruJet will operate a ATR-72 aircraft with a capacity of nearly 70 passengers. The same flight will depart from Chennai at 5.25 p.m. to land at Mysuru at 6.40 p.m. It will take off again at 7.05 p.m. to reach Chennai at 8.20 p.m. Another airline, Air Odisha, has also been given a slot to operate from Mysuru to Chennai, but the authorities are yet to get a confirmation.
The resumption of flights comes almost two years after Alliance Air suspended operations following which the Mysuru airport catered only to chartered flights and saw not less than 20 to 25 landings per month, according to authorities.
Alliance Air, Kingfisher and Spice Jet had offered flights at various points of time, but suspended operations citing poor load factor. But under UDAN, the cost will be subsidised by the Centre and is capped at ₹2,500 for flights of one-hour duration, and hence the authorities expect higher originating passenger load from Mysuru.
