By Team Mangalorean

MANGALORE, March 26: Getting out of Mangalore had never been so easy and fast, thanks to the open sky policy. It is easy, neat and only marginally expensive to fly out of Mangalore to the immediate destinations like Bangalore, Chennai and Mumbai any time of the day. After Mangalore has become an international airport getting out of Mangalore overseas has become more easier. 

Air Deccan (File Photo)

This week Mangalore Airport scored a double. The first flight operated by Indian from Doha to Mangalore, which landed at Bajpe airport on Sunday, and the first wide bodied flight operated by Deccan Airlines from Mumbai to Mangalore, arrived on Monday (26 March 2007).  Air India now operates to Abu Dhabhi, and Dubai and Doha directly from Mangalore.

Overseas travelers do not have to wait for hours at Mumbai to get a connecting flight to Mangalore, neither they have to take the beating of road travel from Cochin to Mangalore after arriving from the West Asian destinations anymore. With the direct flight from Doha operated by Air India Express landing in Mangalore on Sunday ( 25 March 2007 ), the last barrier has been blast open for Mangalore to set its target towards Europe and the USA . Sources in the Jet Airways say that the airlines had applied for few overseas routes also.

The highly cost conscious, yet quality travelers of Mangalore, both in the domestic and international routes have responded well to the new air travel price tags and the no frills airline travel has come as a boon for the enterprising people of Mangalore.  The situation was just right for the both airlines and to the air travelers. The city, which is the second economic hub of the state was getting all right vibes. Incomes of average households are on the rise and the trendy youngsters in lucrative jobs in IT and top industrial establishments have perched comfortably on higher income scales, which has made them to take air travel in their strides.

Elders of the city remember how difficult it was to board an airplane in the past. One had to take a taxi to the airport shelling out nothing less than half of the air fare to the taxi and pay through the nose for the air ticket.  In olden days the Mangalore airport was considered as a flyer's nightmare, as it was a table top air strip suitable only for smaller aircrafts. But now the airport is as safe as any other in the country and wider bodied aircrafts can land and take off at any time of the day. The re-aligned runway and the highly advanced Air Traffic Control system has made the air travel amenable to even the worst cases of aviophobia.

The air traffic figures of Mangalore airport shows how things have turned during the last one year. According to sources in Airport Authority of India in January 2007, 49,000 people were carried into and outside Mangalore which was an increase of 9,000 travelers when compared the figures in November 2006. The Mangalore airport now handles 140 domestic arrival and departures per week and 18 international arrivals and departures per week that totals upto 158  aircrafts movement per week, which is an increase of 146 percent in terms of passengers. 

The introduction of no frills services like the Deccan Airways has increased the middle class passenger movement. Families have started thinking in terms of using their annual Leave Travel Allowance for one way air travel- just for the feel of it. The children love it and the lady of the house feels proud says Walter D’Souza who is a leader in the Cashew industry.  The Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) President Capt. John Prasad Menezes sees the development of civil aviation in a different way. Mangalore is now accessible to the world of Industry and trade through air traffic which improves not only its face value but also the commercial value. High flying executives can now arrive in the city in the morning and take a night flight out of the city and get connected to any part of the world.

Air ticket agents in the city also have expressed satisfaction over an increase in the passengers. One such agent at Kodialbail said he sold at-least a total of 60 tickets per day for Air Deccan,  Kingfisher,  Jet Airways and the Indian..

Former Vice Chancellor of Manipal Academy of Higher Education Dr. B.M. Hegde who is a jet set academician and visiting professor in many of the world medical universities is delighted at prospect of being able to reach any part of the world from Mangalore by air directly.

With the airport all set to get a fresh look and new international arrival and departure lounge, there is no doubt that flying was sure to hit a different plane altogether in Mangalore.

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