Mangalore airport to get international status on October 4

Mangalore, 03 Oct 2012 (TOI): The proposal to grant international tag to Bajpe airport will come for approval before the Union cabinet on Thursday.

 

Union minister for corporate affairs and power M Veerappa Moily told that the proposal to declare Mangalore as international airport will be approved at the Union Cabinet meeting tomorrow.’’ When the union minister was here a few days back, Moily had said he would see to it that the tag would be granted by October end. I will also see to it that Union Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh will inaugurate the International Airport by month end,’’ Moily added.

 

 

Bajpe airport director MR Vasudeva, who will be retiring this month end, was overjoyed. He said: It has been a dream to see the airport as international airport by the time I retire. I’m happy that it’s happening.’’

 

The 61-year old airport has seen tremendous growth from its first flight, a single cargo-cum-passenger Dakota planes in 1951 to modern Boeings and Airbuses. The Bajpe airport was the first airport in the state to have two runways and one of which was fully concrete. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Lal Nehru had arrived by the maiden flight to Bajpe in 1951 at the insistence of the architect of the modern Dakshina Kannada, Ullal Srinivas Mallya.

 

The transformation started when the second runway of 8,045 feet, with the first being 5,330 feet, was commissioned in 2006. This also saw the landing of the first international aircraft from Dubai and the airbus from private players and also by Indian.

 

The airport was under loss till 2005-06. For the year 2011-12, its operating profits touched Rs 9.5 crore, including deprecation, from a meagre profit of Rs 83 lakh in 2006-07.

 

Mangalore airport to get proper two-lane exit road

For travellers to the Bajpe airport here the exit route has been the bane. While the arrival route is a two-lane concrete road constructed two years ago by the Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development and Finance Corporation (KUIDFC), the exit road is a narrow path of 7.5 meters in width.

 

It appears that the issue will be rectified soon with the Karnataka Road Development Corporation (KRDC) planning to widen the road at a cost of Rs 7.50 crore.

 

The major hitch was the acquisition of a building on the exit route. During the execution of the work, the two lane entry route will also double up as the exit route for another 6 to 9 months till the work is complete.

 

The plan is to construct a 11-meter wide two-lane concrete road of 910 metres. Airport director MR Vasudeva told TOI that KRDC had completed the survey and is currently executing the work. Sources in KRDC say that though the work contract is for nine months, they intend to complete it within six months.

 

The state government has already issued 4(1) notification for the acquisition of 1.65 acres of land which was the hurdle in taking up work on the exit road.

 

Probably within a fortnight, the two-lane entry road will also become the exit road. However, the move is can turn out to be hazardous if proper care is not taken by the authorities as the road has multiple hair pin bends.

 

Vasudeva said measures will be taken to see to it that dividers will be put on the two-lane road so that there will be no overtaking on the road leading to accidents.

 

Sources in the airport said the traffic will be blocked on the existing exit road only after KRDC starts work on full steam. "We do not want to inconvenience passengers unless there is obstruction on the exit road which necessitates opening of the entry road as exist road also,’’ the source added.