Staff Correspondent
Flights to West Asia to be increased
Health assistance booth being set up at Bajpe airport
Efforts are on to increase facilities for passengers
MANGALORE: Bajpe airport of the Airports Authority of India here expects to earn an operating profit of Rs. 6 crore in 2007-08, its director M.R. Vasudeva has said.
The airport earned an operating profit of Rs. 83 lakh during 2006-07. It is expected to handle nearly 6 lakh passengers in the current fiscal compared to 4.58 lakh in 2006-07.
In an informal interaction with presspersons here on Saturday, Mr. Vasudeva said the number of flights to West Asia, especially Sharjah, would be increased to 14 a week from October 25, 2007, as against 10 currently.
Referring to various facilities to passengers at the airport, he said AAI had permitted Manipal University to set up a health assistance booth at a monthly rental of Rs. 15,000.
While the booth would provide advertisement revenue to them, the presence of a doctor and nurse at the airport would be of help to passengers and visitors, Mr. Vasudeva said.
The AAI had allowed people to open a foreign exchange counter, snacks bar and sweets stall after going through a tender process. Motor vehicle manufacturers had been approached to display their product streamers in the new arrival hall of the airport, he said and expressed confidence that leading companies would take up the offer as they had done in Bangalore.
The AAI had urged the State Government to expedite the process of acquiring 56-acres of land for the new terminal building at Kenjar to meet infrastructural needs. Efforts are on to convince the Railways Ministry to set up a railway station at Porkodi near the new terminal building.
These steps would increase the number of passengers using the airport, especially those coming from Kerala, he added.
