MANGALORE, 25 August 2005 — A group of Indian expatriates from the Kingdom has teamed up with their counterparts in the rest of the Gulf to create a consortium that will develop infrastructure related to the expansion of Mangalore airport in southern India.
The Saudi expatriate group visited the port city recently and pledged financial support to make the airport viable for landing international flights.
Direct flights to Mangalore will ease the difficulties of the expatriate community. At present, they have to take flights to Bombay or land in the neighboring Kerala state, which has four international airports connecting the Gulf. The travelers have then to undertake a 10-hour road or rail journey to reach Mangalore and nearby places.
The federal government is earmarking Mangalore’s Bajpe Airport for major expansion in the coming months. Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel has in principle agreed to a proposal that seeks a new terminal at Mangalore and other expansion activities at a cost of SR70 million.
