The Union government said on Thursday that the Karnataka government has not agreed to hand over 32.97 acres of additional land required for the runway safety basic strip at Mangaluru International Airport.
In a written reply to an unstarred question by Capt. Brijesh Chowta in the Lok Sabha, Murlidhar Mohol, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation, said that the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has leased out Mangaluru International Airport to Mangaluru International Airport Ltd. (MaIAL) for better operations, management, and development under the public-private partnership (PPP) model.
“MaIAL had projected additional land requirement of 32.97 acres for runway safety basic strip. Subsequently, Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) had requested the Government of Karnataka (GoK) to hand over this land to AAI, for free,” he said.
“However, GoK had not agreed for the same as Mangalore airport is being operated under the PPP model. Subsequently, AAI has been directed by MoCA to address the matter in accordance with Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India guidelines so as to ensure that operational safety and efficiency of the airport is maintained while mitigating any potential adverse impact on user tariffs,” the Minister said.
Point of Call status
To another question by the MP on granting Point of Call (PoC) status to Mangaluru International Airport to enable international airlines to operate to and from Mangaluru, the Minister said that “new non-metro airports, including Mangaluru, are not being granted PoC.”
“At present, the Government of India promotes more international operations by Indian carriers from non-metro points (airports) either directly or through their own domestic operations. Accordingly, new non-metro points, including Mangalore, are not being granted as PoC in the Air Services Agreement (ASA) to any foreign country,” he said.
The Minister said: “International operations of airlines are governed by bilateral ASA between India and the respective country. In accordance with ASA, Indian designated carriers are free to mount operations to/from any point in India, including Mangaluru, to foreign destinations as per mutually agreed capacity limits, while any designated foreign airline can operate to/from a point in India if it is designated as a PoC in the ASA.
MP meets Minister
It may be mentioned here that Capt. Chowta met Ram Mohan Naidu, Minister for Civil Aviation, in Delhi in December 2024 and requested him to grant Point of Call status to Mangaluru International Airport.
In a letter submitted to the Minister, Capt. Chowta said that Mangaluru International Airport plays a pivotal role in connecting Karnataka to the rest of the world.
“…Despite the airport’s modern infrastructure and increasing passenger and cargo traffic, the lack of adequate direct international connectivity limits its potential. Granting Point of Call status would resolve this limitation and offer significant benefits, particularly given its strategic proximity to Lakshadweep, West Asia, and European countries, as well as its potential to serve as a hub for flights from South Asian and Southeast Asian countries connecting to West Asia…,” he said in the letter.
Published – February 06, 2025 07:21 pm IST