Commercial flights to Mysuru is set to be a reality again as the city figures among the 43 airports which will be connected under the Union government’s UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Nagarik) scheme.
Sources in the Airports Authority of India (AAI) confirmed that apart from Mysuru-Chennai route which has been awarded to two private airlines, the second round of bidding for routes may result in additional flights connecting different destinations.
Meanwhile, M.K. Singh, director, Mysuru Airport, told The Hindu that the SpiceJet flight from Mysuru to Chennai was well-patronised but flights were suspended due to internal issues with the airport operator.
The city airport is ready in all respects for commercial operation of flights which ceased from November 2015, he added.
Trujet and Air Odisha are the airlines who have been awarded the Mysuru-Chennai route but the actual date of commencement of flights will depend on the air operators.
However, the cost will be capped at ₹2,500 for all flight of one hour duration and is expected to be popular.
Incidentally, two trains, Cauvery express (daily) and Shatabdi Express (six days a week), connects Mysuru to Chennai apart from the weekly Superfast Express train and Mysuru-Dharbanga Express, all of which are highly patronised.
In addition, there are KSRTC services besides private buses that operate daily to Chennai and hence air services at capped prices could be highly patronised.
The airport is equipped with night landing facility but lacks refuelling station. Though a public sector oil company inspected the airport premises and agreed to establish refuelling facility, the proposal is yet to be submitted for processing, said Mr. Singh.
Meanwhile, stakeholder have welcomed the latest development and said connectivity to commercial capital Mumbai, tourist destinations like Goa are a must to boost passenger air traffic as also economy as presence of a working airport would result in fresh investment to spur industrial growth.
However, Suresh Kumar Jain, secretary, Mysore Industries Association, said that the success will also hinge to a large extent on timings and regularity.
“Earlier flights were all oddly timed for take-off and the business community did not patronise it,” he added.
The Karnataka Tourism Forum is another body which is acting as a pressure group to get flight operations from Mysuru. It has argued that the existing population of the city besides its reputation as a tourist destination and educational centre and thus the city had all the ingredients for regular flight operations.
