Mangaluru International Airport serves both the purpose of domestic and international flights. The airport is situated at a distance of 18 kilometres from the coastal city of Mangalore, India. The airport was formally known as Bajpe Airport. It is one of the only two international airports in Karnataka, the other being Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru. It is on top of a hill and presently it ranks 12th in the list of airports with international passenger traffic after Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kochi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Thiruvananthapuram, Ahmedabad, Kozhikode, Thiruchirapalli international airports.
History of Mangaluru International Airport
The airport, then the Bajpe Aerodrome, was opened on 25th December 1951 when then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru arrived on a DC-3 Dakota aircraft. Till 2005, the airport had a runway measuring 1.6 kilometres. An Airbus 319 of Kingfisher Airlines landed on the airport on January 10, 2006 and it was the first aircraft in that class to land on this runway. According to statistics the number of passengers using Mangaluru Airport has gone up to 100% last year. On 10th May 2006, a new international runway of 2.9 kilometres length was constructed and commissioned. Mangalore International Airport became the first airport in Karnataka to have two runways. Air-India Express flight IX-802 from Dubai landed on 3rd October 2006, and became the first international flight to land at Mangalore. Air India Express appended connections to Abu Dhabi and Muscat, with Doha and Bahrain on February 15, 2007, thereby adding Mangalore as a new destination.
Structure of Mangaluru International Airport
Mangaluru International Airport has a landing approach leading up to the extreme edges of the hill sides, called a table top runway. The first runway was opened in 1951. It was the first airport in Karnataka to have two runways and the first to have a runway made of concrete. On 10th May 2006 the second runway was opened. A Jet Airways flight from Bangalore with 95 passengers on board was the first to land on this runway. The terminal building was inaugurated by Civil Aviation Minister, Praful Patel on 15th May 2010. It was to be opened to air traffic on 1st July 2010 but it became operational on 2nd August 2010. The construction of a new air traffic control (ATC) tower was completed in June 2014. Mangaluru Airport Director announced on 28th January 2016 that the Airports Authority of India have handed over 17,000 square feet of space at the old terminal building to the Indian Coast Guard to set up an air station for its air operations.
Airlines of Mangaluru International Airport
Airlines of Mangaluru International Airport are Air India, Air India Express, IndiGo, Jet Airways and SpiceJet.
Visiting Information of Mangaluru International Airport
Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation offers bus service between the airport and Central Railway Station. Prepaid taxi service is available around the clock at the airport counter in the arrival hall.
