Mangaluru: The Karnataka government has decided to conduct a survey on the possibilities of constructing an airport between Udupi and Mangaluru and also to expand the runway at Mangaluru International Airport on area of 33 acres, said Minister for Industries and Infrastructure Development RV Deshpande during the Assembly Session on Friday.
Replying to a query by BJP member Captain Ganesh Karnik, Minister Deshpande said, “A meeting was held between the president of the Airport Authority of India (AAI) and the state government on June 1 and the possibilities of a new airport and extension of the runway were discussed.
Addressing the Assembly, Captain Karnik noted that Kozhikode would soon have an international airport and that was likely to reduce the demand for the airport at Mangaluru. He further cautioned that if the demand reduced, it might limit flight service to only between Mangaluru and Bengaluru.
He added that at present passengers from the Malabar region in Kerala and neighbouring districts of Dakshina Kannada were dependent on Mangaluru International Airport to reach foreign countries especially the Gulf countries.