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Mangalore International Airport
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Mangalore International Airport (formerly Bajpe Airport) is a domestic and international airport serving the coastal city of Mangalore, India. The airport was opened in 1951 as the Bajpe Aerodrome and the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru arrived on the maiden flight.. In 2007-08 the airport handled 10,019 aircraft movements as compared to 6,268 the previous year.
The airport is located near Bajpe, around north-east of the city centre.
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Encyclopedia
Mangalore International Airport (formerly Bajpe Airport) is a domestic and international airport serving the coastal city of Mangalore, India. The airport was opened in 1951 as the Bajpe Aerodrome and the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru arrived on the maiden flight.. In 2007-08 the airport handled 10,019 aircraft movements as compared to 6,268 the previous year.
The airport is located near Bajpe, around north-east of the city centre. Daily domestic flights are available to Mumbai, Bangalore, Goa, Kochi, Kozhikode and Chennai. Until 2005, its small runway meant that it could only handle Boeing 737-sized aircraft. Now Deccan and Indian Airlines use the Airbus 320 while Kingfisher Airlines use an Airbus 319.
The operation of international flights started in 2006 with Air-India Express flying to Dubai. While currently the airport has the status of a customs aerodrome, it is likely to get international status in February 2009 after the addition of the required infrastructure.
Overview
The first runway was located on top of a hill, with the landing approaches leading up to the extreme edges of the hill sides and called a table top runway.. The edges of the hill dropping into the valley from a height of about to ) within a short distance of just on the east side of the runway and from about to on the western side. An additional disadvantage was that the runway was not level, with the height varying from to from east to west. Landing on this short runway at this airport was considered difficult.
On January 10, 2006 an Airbus 319 of Kingfisher Airlines was the first aircraft in that class to land on this runway. The number of passengers using Mangalore Airport has gone up by 100% last year (from 2.6 lakhs to almost 5 lakhs). With the increase in traffic the airport earned a maiden profit of Rs 83 lakhs in financial year 2006-07 and have a target of Rs 6 crores for financial year 2007-08.
Second runway
A new international length (2.9 km) runway was constructed and commissioned on 10 May, 2006. With this, Mangalore Airport has become the first airport in Karnataka to have two runways. and a runway which is made of concrete. The airport has acquired land to build a taxiway parallel to the new runway to reduce aircraft on ground time, it will be connecting the runway to the new terminal building under construction.
New terminal building
With larger aircraft now able to fly to Mangalore, a new terminal building is under construction which will reduce the distance between Mangalore and the airport by about . The terminal building at Kenjar is expected to commission its work in March 2009, marking another milestone in the history of Mangalore International Airport. A 43,000 square metres apron has been constructed at a cost of Rs 18.19 crore and will be connected to the new concrete runway
There will be 28 check-in counters, several conveyor belts and inline security checking system. Five aerobridges will also be introduced .
International flights
On 3 October 2006, Air-India Express flight IX-802 from Dubai became the first international flight to land at Mangalore . On 15 February 2007, Air-India Express added connections to Abu Dhabi and Muscat , with Doha and Bahrain added as a new destination on March 25. It has also launched flights to Kuwait and Sharjah on 17 July, 2008.
Plans are afoot by Jet Airways and Deccan to fly to the Persian Gulf soon.
Air cargo facility
Once the terminal is shifted to the new place, the existing terminal will be used exclusively for cargo handling.
Already there are quite a number of leading shipping companies eyeing to set up base in Bajpe surroundings which is definitely a sign of progress. Even Gulf-based freight forward companies are planning to step on to Mangalore.
Airlines and destinations
Domestic Flights
Jet Airways| Bangalore, Mumbai | | Kingfisher Airlines operated by Kingfisher Red | Bangalore, Calicut, Chennai, Cochin, Goa, Mumbai, Trivandrum | |
International Flights
International Flights | Airlines | Destination |
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| Air India Express | Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai, Kuwait, Muscat | |
External links
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