Air connectivity from Mysuru got a fresh thrust with the city set to be connected to Hyderabad, Kochi and Goa with effect from July 19, in a move that could spur both tourism and investment.
Alliance Air, a subsidiary of Air India, has announced the launch of its flights from Mysuru to Hyderabad, Kochi and Goa under the Regional Connectivity Scheme UDAN.
These services will bolster regional connectivity under “Connecting India” mission of Government of India and the flight connectivity gives
Commuters have the option of travelling from Hyderabad to Mysuru and returning the same day with onward options of Kochi, Bengaluru and Goa from Mysuru.
To two cities
At present, Mysuru is connected to Chennai and Bengaluru. Mysuru Airport Director Manjunath told media persons here on Wednesday that talks are under way for flights from Mysuru to Belagavi and Shirdi as well and may become a reality in due course. He said there was also a possibility of flight connection from Mysuru to Kannur in Kerala.
Mr. Manjunath said the services would offer seamless connectivity and help garner the immense tourism potential Mysuru has to offer. In addition, tourist spots such as Coorg, Ooty and Bandipur National Park are in close proximity to Mysuru and this flight will reduce the total travel time to these destinations as well.
Investments
Tourism apart, the flight connectivity is expected to be a plus factor to garner additional investments in Mysuru. Mr. Manjunath said the air passenger traffic originating from the city was evident in the number of people from Mysuru flying out of Bengaluru to different destinations. “The two flights – to Chennai and Bengaluru – have an occupancy rate of nearly 85 per cent which is very high’’, he added.
The official said Mysuru, being a yoga hub, also drew many international students. This apart, the authorities are also looking to explore air cargo potential from the region. Also, around 10 chartered flights operate in and out of Mysuru, mostly by businessmen and industrialists, which is an indicator of potential for more traffic.
All flights will operate with a 70 seater ATR-72 in view of the short runway of the Mysuru airport (1740 metres) and cannot support larger Airbus and Boeing flights.
Mr. Manjunath said with the 3 new services the total number of flights operating from Mysuru would be 5 and the flight movement would be 10 and this is expected to further increase if flights to Belagavi, Shirdi and Kannur also become a reality.
In anticipation of further growth the airport has equipped itself with refuelling facility and has night landing facilities.
