Mysuru MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar on Saturday met Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu in New Delhi in connection with the expansion of Mysuru airport and to bring more flights to Mysuru.
The MP’s meeting gains significance amidst the decreasing air connectivity since last year, with only two cities now connected to Mysuru, a tourist and a yoga hub. Nanjangud, which is close to the airport, is an industrial town attracting investments. With Mysuru being a tourist hub, tourism is another area that contributes to the traffic.
During his meeting, the MP explained the need for good air connectivity in Mysuru, arguing that it will foster trade, business, and generate employment in the constituency.
The strong air connectivity will also boost tourism with Mysuru being a preferred tourist destination, attracting a large number of tourists.
During the meeting, the MP urged the Minister to ensure flight connectivity to Kochi, Goa, Mumbai, and Hyderabad from Mysuru. “The Minister has responded positively to the suggestions and assured that needful will be done,” the MP said.
Though the Mysuru airport is undergoing expansion, the decreasing number of flights has put a question mark on the ongoing efforts, with the travellers from Mysuru questioning the purpose behind the airport expansion when the number of flights were getting reduced despite good passenger traffic.
Despite several appeals from the trade, tour and travel operators, and hospitality sector for increasing the flights, air connectivity almost remains stagnant. The stakeholders, including tour and travel operators, and regular fliers are demanding more flights from Mysuru. On the demand for long-distance flights by business and trade communities, the government took up the expansion of the airport and the runway expansion required about 206 acres.
The previous BJP government allocated ₹319.13 crore for the expansion in 2022 and released two instalments of ₹50 crore and ₹100 crore. The third instalment of ₹75 crore was released by the Congress government led by Mr. Siddaramaiah last year.
Stakeholders argue that Mysuru has a good passenger traffic due to expanding trade and business establishments. The Mysuru airport has a runway of 1,750 metres and only ATR-type 72-seater flights can be operated. The proposal is to expand the runway to at least 2,400 metres to enable the operation of long distance flights.
Published – September 14, 2024 06:51 pm IST
