Deccan Airways to start direct flights to Gulf

Manipal (Karnataka), Feb 1: Deccan Airways Executive Chairman G R Gopinath said the airlines proposed to commence direct flight services between Mangalore and Gulf countries.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a private function here last night, Capt Gopinath said the new flight services would commence from August this year. The Kingfisher had already announced the commencement of its flight service between Mangalore and Kuwait, he recalled. Earlier, addressing the 18th Annual Day celebration of Welcome Group School of Hotel Administration here he announced the Deccan Airways and the Manipal University were jointly working on building an airport at Manipal which had now grown into international educational city attracting people from various parts of the world.

Capt Gopinath said he had also brought his technocrats along with him for conducting a detail survey of Manipal for the purpose.

''If everything goes well, within next one year time, an airport could be built here,'' he said.

His airlines was the first in promoting low-cost flight services catering to small cities and towns in the country to enable middle class people enjoy air travel.

''Today, 500 airports are under-utilised and my major thrust is to have integrated air connectivity with a dream that the 250-million middle-class people will have an opportunity to fly by air at least once a year,'' he said.

UNI