A few months ago, Mangaluru airport in Karnataka was connected with Hubballi airport in the State. This was one of the major developments as far as intra-State air connectivity is concerned.

While Mangaluru remains the second busiest airport in the State after Bengaluru airport, other airports in the State are in need of better connectivity to boost their growth.

At present, Airports Authority of India (AAI) operates the Belagavi, Hubballi, Kalaburgi and Mysuru airports in Karnataka. Inorder to facilitate and stimulate regional air connectivity for the underserved and unserved airports, and to make air travel affordable, the Union Civil Aviation Ministry had launched Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) - UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) in October 2016.

A few stakeholders feel that UDAN scheme can get further boost, if the Central and State governments decide to operationalise the old HAL airport in Bengaluru for UDAN operations.

G Giridhar Prabhu, Chairman of the Mangaluru-based Economic Research Centre, told businessline that the State government should initiate the process of reopening the old HAL airport in Bengaluru for UDAN flights connecting various airports in the State.

At present, an air passenger travelling from Mangaluru to Bengaluru will have to spend ₹2,000 for flight and two hours each to commute between Devanahalli and Bengaluru city. Most commuters would like to come back on the same night, as the stay in Bengaluru will incur additional expense. Operations from HAL airport to different airports in the State will save time and cost for the passengers.

Easing travel burden

On the viability, he said the routes should be planned in such a way that a single flight can connect at least two airports in a trip with HAL airport as the base. For example, he said a flight can operate from Bengaluru to Belagavi and from there to Mangaluru before landing back in Bengaluru. In fact, the airlines can also think of connecting small airports in the State with the airports in the neighbouring States in the same trip. Such initiatives will help ensure passenger load factor and help connect airports within the State.

Praveen Kumar Kalbavi, CEO of the Mangaluru-based IT company, Novigo Solutions, said that a survey should be conducted in each of these tier-2 and tier-3 cities having airports to assess the demand from the region.

Stating that people are travelling to various destinations within Karnataka, he said such connectivity by making HAL airport as the base will help improve connectivity within the State. A person, who can reach other metros from Bengaluru within two-three hours, also expects his/her location to be connected with the State capital and other locations in the State in the same time duration.

K Ganesh Kamath, President of Kanara Chamber of Commerce and Industry, intra-State air connectivity by making HAL airport as the base can prove fruitful to the airports in the State. It can give a boost for tourism sector in Karnataka.

MR Vasudeva, who retired as the Director of Mangaluru International Airport, said considering the present traffic figures in the smaller airports in Karnataka there is a need for the State government to support such airports by extending concessions in various segments of operations. Such a move can help them to become viable in the long run, he said.

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