Mangalore airport — Buoyed by better infrastructure

Mangalore airport, which was in the red five years ago, handling just above 2 lakh passengers per annum, is now back in the black and buzzing with activity, thanks to the creation of major infrastructure facilities at the airport and the start of international operations from Mangalore. Buoyed by these factors, the airport has shown good growth both in terms of revenue and passenger movement.

Established in 1951 to handle Dakota aircraft, the airport was developed to handle the operations of Boeing 737 in 1970. However, the real modernisation of the airport began in 2004-05, with the Airports Authority of India (AAI) initiating work on the construction of a second runway. While the old runway’s length is 1,600 metres, the second runway is 2,450 metres long.

Passenger numbers

A glance at the number of passengers handled at the airport in the last five years gives a clear picture of its development. From 2.17 lakh passengers in 2003-04, the number crossed the 7.13 lakh mark during 2007-08, trebling in five years. The number was 2.68 lakh in 2004-05 and 3.04 lakh in 2005-06.

Fiscal 2006-07 could be called a landmark year for Mangalore airport, as it achieved two major milestones. First was the commissioning of the second runway in May 2006 for handling bigger aircraft, and second was the airport getting the status of customs aerodrome during that month. This status is essential for Mangalore to operate flights to international destinations.

These factors helped Mangalore airport handle 5.12 lakh passengers in 2006-07, a growth of 68 per cent in a span of one year.

International operations from Mangalore — which began on October 3, 2006 — made a new beginning in the passenger traffic scenario of the airport. Though the airport handled international passengers only for six months during that fiscal, that segment contributed more than 6 per cent to the total passenger traffic during that year.

Mr M.R. Vasudeva, Airport Director, Airports Authority of India, Mangalore, told Business Line that of the 7.13 lakh passengers handled during 2007-08, 1.58 lakh were international passengers. Of the total passenger traffic handled at Mangalore airport, 22 per cent was of international passengers.

Aircraft movement

During 2007-08, the airport witnessed 10,019 aircraft movements as against 7,324 in 2006-07. Of the total aircraft movement in the last fiscal, 1,520 were international aircraft. Prior to the opening of the airport for international operations, aircraft movement stood at 3,508 in 2003-04, 3,976 in 2004-05, and 4,122 in 2005-06.

At present, Mangalore airport operates flights to international destinations such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Muscat, Bahrain and Doha. While there is an everyday flight between Mangalore and Dubai, flights are operated from Mangalore to Abu Dhabi-Muscat and to Bahrain-Doha thrice a week.

Out of the red

Aided by the growth in international aircraft movement, the operating profit of Mangalore airport recorded more than nine times growth during 2007-08.

According to provisional figures, the airport earned revenue of Rs 19.5 crore and expended around Rs 10.89 crore during 2007-08. It registered an operating profit of Rs 8.61 crore during the period. This does not include depreciation and other investments made by the AAI.

While traffic revenue contributed a major share to the total revenue of the airport, non-traffic revenue share was around Rs 3.5 crore during the year. It is to be noted here that the airport recorded a maiden operating profit of Rs 83 lakh in 2006-07. It recorded an operating loss of Rs 2.8 crore in 2005-06.

New facilities

Considering the demand for more facilities, the AAI has initiated work on the construction of a new integrated terminal building at the airport. This project includes terminal building with two aerobridges, apron and taxiway. Being built on 18,200 sq.m of area, the terminal building will accommodate more aircraft. Work on the new terminal building is on.

The new facilities will further boost the growth of Mangalore airport. Industry analysts here feel the airport may witness a growth of 20-25 per cent in the coming years, if the momentum in development projects continues. However, this should be assisted by new facilities such as integrated terminal building, they point out.

Source: Businessline