Copyright starofmysore
Direct flights from Mysuru to Mumbai, Goa & Tirupati soon Mysuru, Oct. 27 – The long-pending demand for enhanced air connectivity from Mysore Airport at Mandakalli is set to be fulfilled soon, with direct flights to major destinations including Mumbai, Goa and Tirupati likely to commence in the coming weeks. At present, barring Hyderabad and Chennai, flight operations on most routes from Mysuru have been withdrawn, inconveniencing frequent flyers — particularly tourists and business travellers. Confirming the development this morning, Mysuru-Kodagu MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar told Star of Mysore that he has been in discussions with Air India and IndiGo Airlines to introduce direct flights to these high-demand destinations. “Tourism and business stakeholders have been demanding this service for a long time. It will significantly boost commerce, industry and tourism in the region, especially considering the industrial and IT/BT growth in the Mysuru region,” the MP said. Long-term and sustainable plan “I do not want operators to run flights for a limited period. We are working on a long-term and sustainable plan to operate flights to Mumbai, Goa and Tirupati, as these routes have strong demand, especially from tourists and the business community on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays. Slots have already been booked, and if the plan materialises, the flights could begin in two or three weeks,” he added. Highlighting the convenience of the proposed Mysuru-Tirupati service, Yaduveer noted that devotees currently rely on trains and buses for two-day journey to Tirupati and back. “With flight connectivity, devotees can travel to Tirupati, have darshan and return the same day,” he said. At present, only IndiGo operates flights on Hyderabad-Mysuru-Hyderabad and Chennai-Mysuru-Chennai routes. The Hyderabad flight arrives in Mysuru at 12.30 pm and departs at 1.15 pm, while the Chennai flight lands at 6.30 pm and leaves at 7.40 pm. Flights to Kochi and Goa have already been suspended, while services to Belagavi, Hubballi and Kalaburagi were also discontinued. Meanwhile, several regional airports in Karnataka, including Mysuru, have been struggling since the expiry of the Regional Connectivity Scheme — Ude Desh ka Aam Nagrik (RCS-UDAN) — in 2021. Total aircraft movements from Mysuru, Kalaburagi, Hubballi and Belagavi airports have dropped by more than 60 percent — from 13,180 in 2021-22 to just 5,372 in 2024-25. Passenger traffic too declined from 4,89,040 to 3,34,213 during the same period, with the end of the UDAN scheme cited as the primary reason for the slump.
