Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Nov 4: After several development works were undertaken at the international airport here, the number of passengers using the airport has been increasing year after year. But the passengers are aggrieved by the fact that the number of flights to Mumbai from here has become less, but fare has gone up steeply.

The passengers are dithering from using this facility. As a result, in course of time, the airport development might take a hit.

Mangaluru International Airport (file photo)

Till last year, Air India used to operate one flight to Mumbai from Mangaluru, while Jet Airways had three flights. IndiGo operated two flights, and SpiceJet one. Seven flights were therefore operated daily to Mumbai, and the average fare charged then was between Rs 5,000 to 6,000.

Air India has since stopped direct flights to Mumbai. Instead, it is operating a flight to Mumbai via Coimbatore. IndiGo operates two flights and SpiceJet one. The fare has gone up to Rs 15,000 to 16,000, which is burdensome for average passengers. That too during peak times and festival seasons, tickets are priced beyond reach, and that too it becomes hard to get tickets because of less number of flights. Many a time, the passengers are forced to opt for a detour to reach Mumbai, which is not only inconvenient but also costly.

Particularly, the Air India flight to Mumbai via Coimbatore not only wastes time of passengers but also results in less passengers for the flight. In the past, this flight used to be fully occupied but now only a portion of passengers are taking this flight. If there are direct flights to Mumbai, more passengers will opt for travel by air. One hopes that the flight operators will take steps to introduce direct flights to Mumbai.