Mysore airport to be ready by March
* The first phase of upgradation of the airport will be completed in six months
* The first phase of upgradation of the airport will be completed in six months
Source: Bangalore MirrorBy Nagaraja Dixit
Posted On Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Mysore: The people of Mysore can heave a sigh of relief for, the much awaited Mysore Mandakalli airport will be all set to function by March 2009. The first phase of upgradation of the airport is in its final stage and the airport is almost set for operating ATR charter flights.
The Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) approved the use of the Mysore airport runway for microlights, and also for chartered flights to bring tourists during the month of Dasara festivities.
The work on the terminal building, air traffic control tower (ATC tower), parking lot and various other amenities is under way. By March 2009, the first phase of the project worth Rs 70 crore will be completed, which was already delayed by two months.
Speaking to Bangalore Mirror, P Manivannan, Deputy Commissioner, Mysore district and the Airport Authority of India (AAI) confirmed the statement. The completion of the first phase will allow the Mysore airport to operate ATR 72 aircraft with a capacity of 65-70 passengers, towards Bangalore, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai.
A terminal building with a capacity to accommodate 200 passengers will also be ready. Two runways measuring 1,740 metres and 1,350 metres are being built apart from a taxi way peripheral road and a boundary wall which has already been completed.
Meanwhile, a sanction has been already given for the Rs 140 crore civil and electrical works of the second phase of the project. The second phase will include upgradation of the airport with apron, setting up of air traffic control, meteorological department and upgrading the terminus. The airport will be able to operate Airbus 320 and Boeing 737 with a
passenger capacity of more than 150.
Sources said that the government had already issued a notification to acquire 183 acres of land for the second stage of the airport. Deputy Commissioner P. Manivannan held a meeting with farmers who are giving away their lands on Tuesday. “I am recommending to the Government for payment of compensation not less than Rs. 50 lakh per acre,” P Manivannan said.
The Mysore-Ooty national highway will be shifted 2.5 kms to the east of the present location for facilitating second phase expansion, which will become part of the six-lane highway to the hill station. Ministry of Surface Transport and Highways, Government of India has already given a green signal for the same.
However, Manivannan told this news paper that, “Shifting of the highway will take at least 18 months. It requires more land and we are seriously considering alternative proposals, including taking the highway through a tunnel,” Manivannan explained.
The State government is providing the land for the entire airport project, while the AAI is creating the airport infrastructure.
The state will also provide free electricity, water and security to the airport for the first five years. Later, it will be managed autonomously by AAI.
The airstrip in Mysore was built in 1948. Its last burst of commercial activity was in the mid-1980s when Vayudoot ran a feeder service. The city had been on the aviation map more then five decades ago when a leading national newspaper used to drop its newspaper bundles using a Dakota. Thereafter, it was linked with the rest of the country through Vayudoot services. However, poor patronage had led to discontinuance of the services.