The Hindu

• AAI has identified the airport as having the best firefighting set-up for 2004 
• The airport has been identified as the best office in the implementation of Hindi
• It has also bagged the ISO 14001 certification
• Airport to be ready with night-landing and take-off facility in three days

Mangalore, May 14: The Mangalore airport has earned a triple distinction. It has been recognised by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) as having the best firefighting set-up for 2004, bagged the ISO 14001 certification and has been identified as the best office in the implementation of Hindi in Mangalore by the Town Official Language Implementation Committee (TOLIC). With this, the Airport director M R Vasudev has been given a special commendation as the "Best Officer for the Implementation of the Official Language."

Vasudev was handed over the award at a function held at Corporation Bank here on Saturday.

According to sources, the award for having the best fire-fighting set-up and the ISO 14001 certificate will be given perhaps during a function to be held at a later date to declare the airport as an international airport.

The airport will be ready with the night-landing and take off facility in three days as the lights are being erected. The lighting equipment includes precision approach path indicator lights, runway lights, end lights, edge lights, threshold lights and approach lights.

Sources said a team from the AAI will be visiting the airport shortly to evaluate the firefighting equipment for 2006.

Once the night-landing and take-off facility will be in place, the traffic at the airport will increase substantially as people can hope to return to their destination the same day after completing their work in Mangalore city. Prominent players, including Deccan Airlines, Jet Airways, Kingfisher and Indian (formerly Indian Airlines), are already thinking of operating additional flights on important sectors connecting Mangalore with various cities. Ticketing agents also feel that night flights in this sector will help executives to catch linking domestic, national or international flights.