Mysuru: The first non-UDAN flight commenced its operation from Mysuru to Chennai this morning facilitating regular travellers and businessmen. Most importantly, the flight will be a boon to hundreds of people visiting the U.S. Consulate in Chennai for VISA purposes.  

The daily flight is operated by TruJet Airlines and will not come under Narendra Modi Government’s Ude Desh ka Aam Nagarik (UDAN) scheme and will not take any subsidy from the Government.  

The 72-seater ATR aircraft will depart from Chennai Airport at 6.50 am and land at Mysuru airport at 8.10 am and depart from the city at 8.30 am to reach Chennai at 10 am.

Expressing happiness over the new two-way flight to Chennai — which is in addition to the regular TruJet flight to Chennai that leaves Mysuru at 8.35 pm — Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha, who was instrumental in bringing a host of flights to the once nearly-abandoned Mysore Airport, said that the flight immensely benefits VISA seekers. 

Speaking to Star of Mysore this morning, he said that with two-way flights to Chennai in the morning and in the evening, businessmen and industrialists can finish their meetings in Chennai in a single day and head back to Mysuru. “Moreover, the morning flight will prove a boon for hundreds of VISA seekers who visit the Consulate General of the United States of America in Chennai,” he said. 

Apart from the US Consulate, Chennai has the offices of German Consulate General (Federal and Foreign Office), Thailand Visa Application Centre, Italy Visa Application Centre and Australian Visa Application Centre. People who regularly visit these offices from Mysuru generally take a train but now they can opt for flights saving time. 

Today’s inaugural flight to Chennai from Mysore Airport had 28 passengers while there were 22 people flying from Chennai. The fare from Chennai to Mysuru was Rs. 2,200 while the air fare from Mysuru to Chennai was Rs. 2,000 today. 

Passenger feedback

Mysuru Airport Director R. Manjunath said the airline’s morning schedule is based on passenger and public feedback. There was a huge demand for the morning flight to Chennai and TruJet decided to cash in on the opportunity, he said. With this flight, Mysuru has 14 flight movements — both inward and outward — and the city is connected to Chennai, Kochi, Hyderabad, Goa and Bengaluru. 

MP Pratap Simha said that new flights will be operated to Belagavi and Shirdi soon. “There is also a demand from passengers for a daily flight to Tirupati,” he added. 

On the present flight occupancy rates, Manjunath said that all the flights to Kochi, Chennai, Hyderabad and Goa were seeing 80 to 85 percent occupancy. “The occupancy rate of the Bengaluru flight was 30 to 40 percent earlier and now it has grown to 45 to 50 percent,” Manjunath added. 

Baba Ramdev arrives in Hyderabad flight

Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev, founder of Patanjali Yogpeeth, Haridwar, took the regular Hyderabad fight to land in Mysuru this morning. The Guru is in city to deliver the keynote address at the International Conference on Yoga for Heart Care organised by Ministry of Ayush at the Convocation Hall of the Karnataka State Open University. 

The Alliance Air flight landed at 8.45 am and Ramdev has Z-Plus security. He was welcomed to Mysuru by MP Pratap Simha. Another guest for the Conference Union Minister of State for Defence and Minister of State for AYUSH Sripad Yesso Naik arrived at the Mysore Airport on a chartered Chopper ME 12 at 9.15 am. 

‘300 acres of land needed for runway expansion’

On the Mysore Airport expansion plans, the MP said that around 300 acres of land near Mandakalli on Mysuru-Nanjangud Highway is needed to expand the Airport for facilitating international flights. At present, the Airport at Mandakalli has a single runway of 5,700 feet in length which is only suitable for ATR planes providing short-haul flight operations. 

“The Centre has already cleared the proposal to construct a runway above the Mysuru-Nanjangud Highway and has earmarked Rs.700 crore for the first phase of work. The responsibility of land acquisition lies with the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB). Once land is acquired, the works will start immediately,” Pratap Simha added. 

The existing airport is spread over 490 acres and under the expansion project, length of runway will be increased to 7,900 feet and 45 metres width that allows jet aircraft such as Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 to land. 

Mayor Pushpalatha Jagannath, Mysuru Travel Association office-bearers C.A. Jayakumar, B.S. Prashanth and Shivalingu, Mysuru Chamber of Commerce and Industries President A.S. Satish, FKCCI (Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry) President Sudhakar S. Shetty, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Chairman Bhaskar Kalale, Mysuru Hotel Owners Association President C. Narayana Gowda, State BJP General Secretary M. Rajendra and others were                  present.