Mysuru: The first flight between Mysuru and Bengaluru received an aquatic salute at Mysuru airport on Thursday. With Air India making its first flight from Bengaluru to Mysuru, air connectivity from state’s capital to heritage city recommenced.
The flight, ATR 42, carrying dignitaries from Bengaluru International Air Port landed at Mysuru Air Port at around 6.40am. Revenue minister V Srinivas Prasad flagged off the air service in Bengaluru, along withTourism minister R V Deshpande, Chamundeshwari constituency MLA G T Devegowda, Devanahalli, MLA Pilla Munishamappa, Mysuru Kodagu MP Pratap Simha.
Only nine passengers, all officials and public representatives, travelled in the first flight.

MLA Vasu, Mandya MP C S Puttaraju, Deputy Commissioner (DC) C Shikha received the travellers of first journey. The flight took off from Mysuru Air Port at 7am. MLA Vasu, MP Puttaraju, R V Deshpande, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Mysuru chapter, N Muthukumar along with 11 passengers flew to Bengaluru.

The aircraft, ATR 42, with seating capacity of 48, except Sundays, operates all six days in a week between the two cities. Earlier, the authorities had planned to introduce 72 seating capacity aircraft, but due to some constrains it canceled, said Mysuru Airport Director Manoj Kumar Singh.

However, the passengers can book tickets online and also can get open tickets at airport, director added.

“Mysuru is an important tourist destination as well as an investment destination in Karnataka and emerging as an industrial and an IT hub in the State. In order to attract more investments to the city, it is necessary that air connectivity has to be provided between Bengaluru and Mysuru”, said Tourism minister Deshpande.

The Government of Karnataka has been making the efforts to persuade the airlines to operate flights to Mysuru. The airliner is reluctant to start the flight as they apprehend that the operations may not be economical in order to incentivize the airlines, thus the department of tourism has come forward to provide a Viability Gap Funding (VGF) of Rs 9.5 lakh per month for a period of one year, said Deshpande.

Timing to be rescheduled:

The state government will approach Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for rescheduling of flight timings, said Deshpande. Initially, flight departs from Bengaluru Air Port at 6am and arrives in Mysuru by 6.40am, and the same takes off at 7am from Mysuru and will land in Bengaluru at 7.40am.

“To extend the connectivity to Goa, Chennai and Hyderabad, and to make it convenient for air passengers, the timings need to be rescheduled. Passengers from Bengaluru need to be present at the airport two-hours before the flight takes off and it is burden for them”, said Srinivas Prasad.

The Additional Chief Secretary of Karnataka Kaushik Mukherjee has visited Delhi and will approach Civil Aviation on rescheduling the timings, said Deshpande.

PLACE: DEPARTURE/PLACE: ARRIVAL

Bengaluru: 6am/Mysuru: 6.40am.

Mysuru: 7am/Bengalru: 7.40am.