‘Hitting the road’ may not be the only option for those travelling between Bengaluru and Mysuru. National carrier Air India is set to fly between the two cities soon.
R.V. Deshpande, Minister for Tourism, announced here on Tuesday that talks with the Centre were on about the modalities of starting the flights. Speaking at a press conference to announce the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) travel mart that will be held in Bengaluru this September, he said Bengaluru was the ‘Gateway to south India’ and the State has a lot to offer as far as air connectivity is concerned.
“Hubballi, Belagavi and Mangaluru have airports already. The expansion of Hubballi is going on and airports at Kalaburagi and Shivamogga are coming up at a brisk pace,” he added.
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However, Karnataka Tourism Department officials said the Bengaluru-Mysuru route will see smaller aircraft plying, as the Mysuru airport is equipped to only take in ATRs and not Airbus or Boeing planes. Private players have also shown interest in flying between Mysuru and Goa and Chennai, officials added.
Department officials had earlier announced that two operators had responded to the State’s proposal to create air connectivity between prime tourist destinations in Karnataka.
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Mysuru Staff Reporter writes:
Pratap Simha, Mysuru MP, urged the State government to provide necessary land to extend the runway at the Mysore airport to facilitate commercial operations of bigger aircraft.
At present, the runway length is a limitation as only ATR type short-haul flights can operate.
He said stakeholders and businessmen were not happy with the operational timings of private aircraft, which finally withdrew services to Bengaluru from Mysore a few months ago. Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, Mr. Pratap Simha said Air India had agreed to operate bigger aircraft provided the runway is extended.
He said it was important to give a thrust to this as over 32 lakh tourists visit Mysore every year.