HDK exhorts airline operators to chalk out plan

Bangalore, Dec 19: Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy todayexhorted airline operators to chalk out their future plans keeping inview the developmental activities including proposed greenfieldairports at Hassan, Shimoga, Gulbarga and Bijapur.

Addressing a meeting of the airline operators here he said thestate government had also decided to expand airports at Mangalore,Hubli and Belgaum besides operationalising the Mysore and Bellaryairports. The existing defence airports at Karwar and Bidar were goingto be used for civilian operations and the state government waspursuing the matter with the Defence Ministry, he added.

He said the state would be placed as an important hub in thesector. Already the traffic from Bangalore airport had become the thirdbusiest airport in terms of domestic traffic and fourth in temrs oftotal traffic. The traffic growth to Bangalore was 50 per cent in thecurrent year as compared to the last year, he added hoping that theinternational airport at Devanahalli would be ready by April 2008 asscheduled.

A presentation at the meeting revealed that the Bangalore airportwas the fastest growing among the six metros. The traffic was expectedto be around 10 million by 2010.

UNI