Daijiworld News Network
Mangalore, April 18: As time closes in towards what may be called the red-letter day to have the longest-felt dream of Mangalorean NRIs to come true, a few minor hurdles are being overcome with the support of NRI entrepreneurs and well-wishers.
In a latest development, Daijiworld.com understands from reliable sources at Mangalore Airport that the immigration team who visited Mangalore airport to check the new runway and immigration and customs facilities were not 'too' happy about the infrastructure.
But as a temporary measure, the airport authorities are seeking to use a terminal used by Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Limited (KIOCL) which has been lying out of use ever since the closure of KIOCL operations in Mangalore.
It is understood from informed sources that the KIOCL has demanded Rs 5 lac as compensation.
In a lightning action, Abu Dhabi-based NRI entrepreneur and chairman of NMC group B R Shetty has willingly agreed to bear the cost in response to a request made by Rajesh Sequeira, who has been spearheading the cause of the Mangalore international airport over the past couple of years.
Shetty, in a letter to Dr K Ramalinga, Chairman Airport Authority of India, New Delhi has assured that he is ready to bear the cost. Though the government has to take the initiative to take over this terminal from KIOCL, experts say it might take a 'few' months to settle the issue.
Since Shetty has generously made the offer, KIOCL is expected to accept the compensation within a few days and release the terminal for the use of International traffic at Mangalore Airport.
In the meantime, Air India Express is firm on flying Dubai-Mangalore direct on May 7, 2006 as scheduled, provided the total facilities are ready at the airport.
Air India has even announced the schedule of flights in its tender four flights a week - taking off at Dubai airport on Tuesdays at 8.20 pm, on Thursdays at 4.50 pm and on Fridays and Saturdays at 8.30 pm. The airfare is expected to be announced in the coming days.
Since thousands of eager passengers are just waiting for the flag-off of the flight, daijiworld.com is receiving a number of enquiries every day about the timing, fare and other information. Though most of the formalities have been completed and commencement of a flight is a mere matter of paper-work, postponement by a few days from May 7 cannot be ruled out.
Another positive news is that high-quality lights are expected to be installed at Mangalore airport runways, now on their way from South Korea to Mangalore. The ights are expected to be fixed on April 28. Night-landing is a dream of thousands of Mangalorean entrepreneurs who need to travel across the country and abroad on business purpose. Currently, night-landing is not in operation in Mangalore, which makes businessmen lose their precious time with forced overnight stay.
As already mentioned, Rajesh Sequeira, an aviation man himself - being a former Jet Air employee at Mangalore airport and now Dubai with Emirates Airlines at Dubai - is spearheading the cause from Dubai with help and support from airport authorities, entrepreneurs, airline officials and Mangaloreans and even Keralites worldwide.
Speaking to Daijiworld from Dubai, he said, "Once the Dubai flight is confirmed, we need to work on Mangalore-Dhahran and Mangalore-Kuwait sectors as everyday people from these regions have been enquiring about their chances of flying to Mangalore direct".
So let's keep our fingers crossed and wait for the next bulletin, hopefully the final one before the flight takes off.
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