Direct flights from Mysuru to Hyderabad, Kochi and Goa from July 19

MYSURU: After the successful operation of flights to Chennai and Bengaluru, the Mysuru airport is getting ready to launch daily direct flights to Hyderabad, Kochi and Goa from July 19. There is also a proposal to operate flights to Shirdi and Kannur from Mysuru.
The flights will be operated by Alliance Air, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Air India, under the Regional Connectivity Scheme or UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik).
The flights give passengers the option to travel from Hyderabad to Mysuru and return the same day with onward options to Kochi, Bengaluru and Goa from Mysuru.
R Manjunath, director, Mysuru airport, said: “Mysuru is known as the cultural capital of Karnataka. It receives a large number of tourists from around the world, especially during the Dasara festival. These flights will offer seamless connectivity and help garner the immense tourism potential Mysuru has to offer. Tourist spots such as Coorg, Ooty and Bandhipur National Park are in close proximity to Mysuru and the flights will reduce the total travel time to these destinations as well. The inaugural fares on Mysuru-Hyderabad route will start at Rs 2,100, Mysuru-Kochi at Rs 1,400, Mysuru-Goa at Rs 1,900 and Mysuru-Bangaluru at Rs 1,150. All the flights will operate with a 70-seater ATR-72.”

According to Manjunath, the flights will not only help the tourists and industrialists, but also farmers by exporting their perishable goods including flowers.
“Mysuru has overtaken Agra as number one tourist spot in the country. The better air connectivity will be a great help to those who come from far off places,” said Manjunath. “Apart from tourist spots, Mysuru is also a hub for yoga. Everyday, on an average, 200 to 300 international tourists visit Mysuru. Apart from this, the air connectivity will also become handy to many companies like Infosys and Automotive Axle. For any socio-economic growth, airport is a very important component,” he said. He also said that the proposed Disneyland at KRS will also improve tourism in Mysuru.
“The present airport is spread across more than 500 acres. To expand the runway, we need nearly 240 acres more. Both the state and central governments are very keen about the expansion of runway. Already, the land acquisition process is going on. Once the runway is expanded, there are also possibilities of getting bigger flights to Mysuru,” said Manjunath. On the security aspect at the airport, Manjunath said that an inspector is looking after the security, which is more than enough for the present crowd.