Karnataka delegation set to meet Civil Aviation Minister , M’lore-K’wait flight

Karnataka delegation set to meet Civil Aviation Minister , M’lore-K’wait flight

Mangalore Today News Network

Bangalore, Jul 26, 2014: Press reports inform that Minister for infrastructure development and information Roshan Baig on July 25 responding to a question raised by MLC from Mangalore Ivan D’Souza during the state Legislative Council session, on reasons for stopping direct flights between Mangalore and Kuwait. He confirmed a Karnatak delegation is set to meet the Union Minister of state for Civil Aviation  to urge the re-introduction of  direct flight from Mangalore to Kuwait.

MLC D’Suza stated that due to discontinuing the direct flight operation, passengers from Mangalore have been inconvenienced severly. "Out of the 7.62 lakh Indians in Kuwait, 1.3 lac are from the coastal Karnataka region. They need to be given this minimum facility," he impressed.

Monister Baig felt the prime reason for stopping direct flights on Mangalore-Kuwait route was the lack of passenger response. To this, Ivan D’Souza replied that when the Air India Express direct flight was in operation on this route, only 60 seats were reserved for Mangaloreans and the rest 120 were for Keralites who boarded from Calicut. "The seats reserved for Mangaloreans were always full, but the response was not the same from Keralites perhaps, which gave the impression that the overall response was absent here, this impression is flawed " said the MLC and added, "If not Air India, the government should permit private airlines to fly on this route," he urged. He also pointed out that there was a strong lobby of officials preventing direct flights between Mangalore and Kuwait.

Stating that Ivan was being ’sentimental’ Roshan Baig said, "Now we have G M Siddeshwara, who is from Karnakata, as the union minister of state for civil aviation. I will request him to resume the direct flights, Mangalore and Kuwait. I will also take a delegation with Ivan D’Souza to meet minister Siddeshwara."

Ivan D’Souza also requested  Roshan Baig to visit Mangalore to assess the situation himself. Baig replied that he would do so along with a team soon.


PPP model for runaway improvements at MIA : To a question raised by MLC Ivan D’Souza, on extension of runway at Mangalore International Airport, Roshan Baig said that a full report is being prepared for extending the runaway by one kilometre, and the project  cost is estimated at Rs 1,120 crore. Being a table top runway at MIA, the  filling with earth is needed and complicated. Instead of the government alone bearing the entire cost, the chief minister is considering  ’public-private partnership (PPP)’ model. "Land measuring 289.33 acress is said to  required to extend the runway one kilometre. Already three hillocks have been acquired to level the land for runway extension at Bajpe M’lore" Minister Baig has said.