M'lore Airport has some way to go

The 'Mangalore Airport', of late, has been hitting the headlines for the wrong reasons. Technical and practical difficulties continue to dog it. Though most of them have been addressed, many others are in dire need of attention.

The new terminal building, air cargo complex and airport handling infrastructure like x-ray machine, fire service station, garbage disposal and such others are crying for attention. According to V P Baligar, secretary, Infrastructure Development, Karnataka government, "The boom in air passenger traffic has caught everybody off-guard."

The passenger growth in the country is 50-55 per cent, and in cargo it is 40 per cent. The recent enhanced state outlay of Rs 1,900 crore towards development of this sector has been far from sufficient to cater to the growth in Mangalore.

The state government has appointed the Karnataka State Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation as the nodal agency to oversee the infrastructure works in and around the Mangalore and Hubli airports. It has set aside Rs 50 crore for the purpose.

The proposed investments like the Rs 45,000 crore by ONGC in the Mangalore SEZ project and plans of major IT companies to set up shop here are bound to give a shot in the arm to those arguing for international flights from Mangalore. Private players like Kingfisher, Jet and Air Deccan have already made a foray here.

The passenger traffic at the airport stood at 2.84 lakh people in 2005-06 as against 2.68 lakh in 2004-05, registering a growth of 6 per cent. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) expects to handle four lakh passengers by 2009-10 and nearly 4.5 lakh passengers by 2013-14. According to the AAI, the number of aircraft movements is likely to increase to 5,154 in 2009-10 and 6,265 in 2013-14, from 3,650 in 2005-06.

According to John Prasad Menezes, president, Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), "The Mangalore International Airport can be a 'gateway' of sorts to African countries, and West Asia." The Federation of Indian Exporters Organisation (Fieo) could immediately play a pivotal role in the export of perishables from Dakshina Kannada district.

Tourism and trade will get a big impetus with 'international flights'. But then the base of the plateau on which the airport is located, doesn't belong to the AAI yet. Nor has the city's development near the airport taken off as it should have.