Now commuters prefer Expressway or Vande Bharat Express to reach Bengaluru within two hours
Mysore/Mysuru: There has been no Mysuru-Bengaluru flight since Nov. 2022 (exactly from Oct. 31, 2022), leaving the sector in limbo. At present, the Mysore Airport handles flights only to four destinations — Hyderabad, Chennai (two flights), Goa and Hubballi. Even the Mysuru-Belagavi flight has been cancelled.
Meanwhile, Alliance Air, the regional arm of Air India, has announced twice-a-week (Wednesdays and Sundays) direct flight service between Mysuru and Sindhudurg Airport in Maharashtra from tomorrow. [See report on page 6]
Earlier, Alliance Air operated flights between Mysuru-Bengaluru connecting Kochi (Cochin).
The Alliance Air flight from Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bengaluru to Cochin International Airport was diverted to Mysuru for the convenience of Mysuru-Bengaluru travellers and commuters to Kerala.
However, due to poor response, the operator cancelled the Mysuru route. Now the route is treated as a direct flight from KIA in Bengaluru to Cochin.
Sources from Mysore Airport told Star of Mysore this morning that all bookings were cancelled on the Mysuru-Bengaluru route after Oct. 31, 2022. Though the airlines operated well within the scheduled timings, there has been a lack of response for the Mysuru route.
Except for some businessmen from Kerala in Mysuru, there were not many takers for the flight. Even the Bengaluru-Mysuru section of this aircraft received a lukewarm response, sources added.
Airport sources said that the future demand for the Mysuru-Bengaluru sector is unlikely as many travellers will prefer the Mysuru-Bengaluru Expressway or travel in fast trains like Shatabdi and Vande Bharat Express to reach Bengaluru.
“Flyers from Mysuru city will spend a lot of time to reach the Mysore Airport at Mandakalli and then take a flight to Bengaluru. By the time they reach the Airport from the city, they can as well reach Maddur or Ramanagara, cruising on the Expressway or in the Vande Bharat Express. Moreover, after landing at the Kempegowda International Airport, they will have to spend another hour or more to reach any part of Bengaluru city,” sources reasoned.
This post was published on January 31, 2023 8:00 pm