Members of the Karnataka Tourism Forum (KTF) and stakeholders from tours and travels agencies took out a car rally from Mysuru airport at Mandakalli to the Deputy Commissioner’s office on Thursday, seeking early resumption of flights to the city.
More than 250 vehicles took part in the rally, which passed through NH 212 and the thoroughfares of the city. This was a fresh attempt to step up pressure on the government to restart commercial operation of flights, suspended since November 2015 by airlines citing lack of patronage.
B.S. Prashanth of KTF said Mysuru airport, with a runway of 1,740 m, 26 staff members including nine fire safety officers, equipped with four fire engines, and a power house of 1500 kV capacity maintained by nine engineers, complete with night landing facility, was on a par with other major international airports in the country. Though the airport has had no commercial flights since November 2015, it is being used regularly by chartered flights carrying politicians, business magnates and religious leaders.
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The KTF argued that Mysuru, with a population of more than 12 lakh, home to over 600 educational institutions, and attracting nearly 3.5 million tourists annually, was well-placed to make the airport commercially viable. The forum also expressed concern that the launch of Kannur International Airport in Kerala would deprive Mysuru of its tourist flow, and stressed the need to resume flight operations from the city in such a situation.
The forum said the city was not only a tourist destination but also a yoga hub and a centre for art and culture, all of which could be tapped to generate air passenger traffic. Also, Infosys, with nearly 11,000 employees in Mysuru, and other firms are potential institutions to ensure passenger traffic, said Mr. Prashanth.