Over a lakh go abroad from Bajpe airport

Mangalore: As Bajpe airport — the only one in the state to have two runways — completes one year of international flight services, the mood here is upbeat.
Having handled more than one lakh international commuters in the first year, more services appear to be in the offing even as the airport hopes to make huge profits — about eight times last year’s profit.
International services started between Mangalore and parts of West Asia on October 3 and in the past one year, six lakh passengers used the airport. The number of international passengers stood at 1.08 lakh. The remaining were domestic passengers, M.R. Vasudeva, director of the airport, told. In the international sector, the airport handles passengers bound only for West Asia.
The airport handled 7,378 aircraft movements (arrival and departure) during the period of which 720 were from and to West Asia.
At present, Mangalore is connected to Dubai, Bahrain, Muscat, Doha and Abu Dhabi. Air India Express is planning to connect Mangalore with Sharjah shortly.
When the first flight service between Dubai and Mangalore began on October 3, 2006, it was thrice a week with six movements per week.
03/10/07 The Hindu/Bellevision

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Categories: Airports Oct 2007, Foreign Oct 2007