It's official: Mangalore Airport is now 'INTERNATIONAL'

[email protected] (CD Network, Photos by Ahmed Anwar)
October 4, 2012
Mangalore, October 4: The long wait for the international status for Mangalore Airport has finally come to an end with the Union Cabinet officially declaring five domestic airports in the country as 'International Airports on Thursday.
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After the crucial cabinet meeting Finance Minister P Chidambaram told media persons in New Delhi that Cabinet approved the declaration of five international airports: Mangalore, Lucknow, Varanasi, Tiruchirapalli and Coimbatore.

The conversion of a domestic airport into an international one primarily entails creation of immigration facilities and deploying manpower to carry out these tasks.


Overjoyed by the international status, Mangalore Airport director MR Vasudeva, who will be retiring this month end, said that it had been a dream to see the Airport as International Aairport by the time he retires. “I'm happy that it's finally happened.''

He said that all the facilities required for declaring the Airport as International one like the terminal building, aerobridges, runway length for larger aircraft like Airbus 310 are available at the Airport. In many smaller countries most airports are international airports, so the concept of an "international airport'' sometimes has little meaning. “We have all world-class standards as required by ICAO/IATA”, he said.


Mangalore Airport was a customs aerodrome till now and Air India Express was operating flights to international destinations in the Middle East. Now foreign aircraft can operate since it is an international airport. The passenger will benefit with competitive fares and more destinations, probably starting with direct flights to South East Asia or Europe on a hub-and-spoke arrangement via Dubai.

Of the 9.29 lakh passengers handled by Mangalore Airport for the year ending June 2012, 2.5 lakh were international passengers.

The 61-year old Airport has seen tremendous growth from its first flight, a single cargo-cum-passenger Dakota plane in 1951 to modern Boeings and Airbuses. The Mangalore Airport was the first airport in the state to have two runways and one of which was fully concrete.

Prime Minister Jawaharlal Lal Nehru had arrived by the maiden flight to Bajpe in 1951 at the instance of the architect of the modern Dakshina Kannada, Ullal Srinivas Mallya.

The first runway is 5,330 feet and the transformation started when the second runway of 8,045 feet was commissioned in 2006. This also saw the landing of the first international aircraft from Dubai and the Airbus from private players and also by Indian.

The airport suffered losses till 2005-06. For the year 2011-12, its operating profits touched Rs 9.5 crore, including deprecation, from a meagre profit of Rs 83 lakh in 2006-07.


Union Minister for Corporate Affairs and Power M Veerappa Moily had recently said that he would see to it that Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh would inaugurate the International Airport by month end.

There are 454 airports and airstrips in the country of which the state-run Airports Authority of India (AAI) owns and manages 97 airports and 28 civil enclaves at defence airfields. Only 16 of them had been designated as international airports in the past. There are several other airports designated as 'limited international', for a restricted number of global flights from there.

The government plans to have 500 operational airports by 2020 and aims to attract private investment in aviation infrastructure to meet this end.


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News Network
December 3,2025

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Mangaluru, Dec 3: A group of Congress workers gathered at the Mangaluru International Airport on Wednesday to welcome AICC general secretary K C Venugopal, but the reception quickly turned into a display of support for Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar.

Venugopal arrived in the city to participate in the centenary commemoration of the historic dialogue between Mahatma Gandhi and Narayana Guru. The event, organised by the Sivagiri Mutt, Varkala, in association with the Mangalore University Sri Narayana Guru Study Chair, is being held on the university’s Konaje campus.

KPCC general secretary Mithun Rai and several party workers had assembled at the airport to receive Venugopal. However, the moment he stepped out, workers began raising slogans backing Shivakumar.

The university programme will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

This show of support comes just a day after Siddaramaiah remarked that Shivakumar would lead the government “when the high command decides.” The chief minister made the comment after a breakfast meeting at Shivakumar’s residence—another public display of camaraderie between the two leaders amid ongoing attempts by the party high command to downplay their leadership rivalry.

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News Network
December 2,2025

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Bengaluru: 'Nati koli saaru' (country chicken curry) considered one of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s favourites along with steaming hot idlis was on the breakfast menu at Deputy CM D K Shivakumar’s residence on Tuesday, according to official sources.

The spread also included 'nati koli' fry, vada and pongal, among other items, they said.

In an apparent show of unity, Siddaramaiah visited Shivakumar’s residence for breakfast, just days after the two leaders shared a meal amid a simmering power tussle in the state Congress.

Siddaramaiah drove to the Deputy CM’s residence in Sadashivanagar, where he was received by Shivakumar and his brother D K Suresh, who is a former Congress MP.

Suresh and Kunigal MLA H D Ranganath, a relative of Shivakumar, joined them for breakfast, which featured a mix of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes.

Speaking to reporters later, Siddaramaiah said Shivakumar had invited him during his visit to the CM’s residence for breakfast on Saturday.

Asked about the difference between the two meals, the chief minister said, "At his (Shivakumar’s) house it was non-veg, while at my house it was veg. He is a vegetarian, I am a non-vegetarian. I had not prepared non-veg. I told DK to get chicken from the village as you won’t get the original in Bengaluru."

Shivakumar said he had initially invited Siddaramaiah to his residence, but the CM had suggested visiting his place first and reciprocating later. "It was a vegetarian breakfast at the CM’s house on Saturday," he noted.

"Today, I invited him (the CM) to my house. He enjoyed the breakfast, which had his Mysuru taste," Shivakumar added. At this point, Siddaramaiah remarked that Shivakumar’s wife is also from Mysuru.

Saturday’s breakfast at Siddaramaiah’s official residence, held as part of efforts by the Congress high command to ease tensions in the leadership dispute between the two, reportedly included idlis and sambar, according to official sources.

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News Network
December 4,2025

Udupi: A 40-year-old NRI from Udupi has reportedly lost more than Rs 12.25 lakh in an online investment scam operated through Telegram.

According to a complaint filed at the CEN police station, Leo Jerome Mendonsa, who has been working in Dubai for the past 15 years in computer accessories sales, maintains NRI accounts in Karkala and Nitte.

On November 12, 2025, Mendonsa was added to a Telegram group called Instaflow Earnings by unknown individuals. Users identified as Priya and Dipannita persuaded him to invest in “Revenue Tasks.” Initially, Mendonsa transferred Rs 1,100 multiple times and received the promised returns, encouraging him to continue.

On November 14, another user, Nishmitha Shetty, directed him to register on a website, digitvisionuoce.cc, and invest Rs 4 lakh in various shares. Over the next few days, he made multiple transfers totaling Rs 12,25,000, including Rs 50,000 via Google Pay, believing the scheme was legitimate.

After receiving the money, the alleged handlers stopped responding, and neither the invested amount nor the promised profits were returned.

The CEN police have registered a case under Sections 66(C) and 66(D) of the IT Act and Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and investigations are ongoing.

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