After a gap of about 13 months, the first commercial flight landed at Mysore Airport on Monday with SpiceJet introducing operations between Chennai and Mysore via Bangalore.
The 78-seat Bombardier Q400 flight carried 17 passengers from Bangalore to Mysore on the inaugural journey while there were 27 passengers on its return journey.
Airport manager C Manjunath said the tri-weekly flight had more than 50 passengers for the next two trips from Mysore. The flight operates on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
SpiceJet regional manager Pankaj flagged off the inaugural journey. Passengers were given yellu bella (sesame and jaggery) on account of Sankranti.
Kingfisher Airlines operated flights here from October 10, 2010 to November 5, 2011, when the operations were suspended due to low occupancy.
Mysore Hotel Owners’ Association president Rajendra said the government’s support was a must for private flight operators to continue operations. He said that Mysore was a tourist spot and to give tourism a boost and develop the city into a commercial hub, air connectivity was a must.
The present timetable (arrival at 12.45 pm and departure at 1.30 pm) will be effective till March 31.
