<p class="title">The summer schedule at Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) got off to an early start with the arrival of the maiden IndiGo flight from Pune at 12.42 am on Monday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The inaugural flight with 82 passengers landed 38 minutes ahead of its scheduled arrival of 1.20 am, marking the entry of Pune as the newest destination from the coastal city.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The flight departed for Pune with 124 passengers at 2.40 am. The introduction of this flight saw a late-night buzz at the airport with the airline holding a small celebration with passengers and other stakeholders.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The lighting of a traditional lamp and cutting of a cake added to the on-ground pre-flight excitement. Passengers who arrived early for the early morning flight participated in the celebration.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The airport had arranged a traditional water cannon salute to the aircraft as it taxied into the parking stand.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Captain Aman Gupta acknowledged this gesture by making an onboard flight announcement about the gesture on behalf of his six-member crew that included first officer Gaurav Singh and cabin crew – Mamata Negi, Ashitha Nisar Sayyed, Meenakshi Yadav and Bhageshwari Gopaldas. </p>.<p class="bodytext">The significance of this new flight was not lost on passengers either. S N Bhat, working as a senior professional in New Delhi and a native of Mangaluru, said the flight with a 30-minute layover in Pune is ideal for professionals like<br />him.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The flight that leaves Mangaluru reaches New Delhi at 6.55 am after the layover. The other option to fly to New Delhi is a time consuming one as of now, said Bhat.</p>.<p class="bodytext">For Pranav, a student, the flight was handy for him to reach Pune, his hometown with his grandmother after his summer vacation.</p>.<p><strong>Schedule of the new flight service</strong></p>.<p>The new flight will operate four times a week on the Delhi-Pune-Mangaluru sector, stated airport sources.</p>.<p>The flight departed from Mangaluru at 2.45 am to reach Pune at 4.20 am. After a 35 minute layover, the flight landed in New Delhi at 6.55 am.</p>.<p>The flight from New Delhi will depart from 9.05 pm and reach Pune at 11.05 pm. After a 40 minutes layover, it will depart from Pune at 11.45 pm and reach Mangaluru airport at 1.20 am.</p>.<p>The flight to New Delhi from Mangaluru had remained suspended for the past few years. Without a direct flight, the passengers bound to New Delhi had to depend on Bengaluru or Mumbai all these days.</p>
<p class="title">The summer schedule at Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) got off to an early start with the arrival of the maiden IndiGo flight from Pune at 12.42 am on Monday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The inaugural flight with 82 passengers landed 38 minutes ahead of its scheduled arrival of 1.20 am, marking the entry of Pune as the newest destination from the coastal city.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The flight departed for Pune with 124 passengers at 2.40 am. The introduction of this flight saw a late-night buzz at the airport with the airline holding a small celebration with passengers and other stakeholders.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The lighting of a traditional lamp and cutting of a cake added to the on-ground pre-flight excitement. Passengers who arrived early for the early morning flight participated in the celebration.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The airport had arranged a traditional water cannon salute to the aircraft as it taxied into the parking stand.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Captain Aman Gupta acknowledged this gesture by making an onboard flight announcement about the gesture on behalf of his six-member crew that included first officer Gaurav Singh and cabin crew – Mamata Negi, Ashitha Nisar Sayyed, Meenakshi Yadav and Bhageshwari Gopaldas. </p>.<p class="bodytext">The significance of this new flight was not lost on passengers either. S N Bhat, working as a senior professional in New Delhi and a native of Mangaluru, said the flight with a 30-minute layover in Pune is ideal for professionals like<br />him.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The flight that leaves Mangaluru reaches New Delhi at 6.55 am after the layover. The other option to fly to New Delhi is a time consuming one as of now, said Bhat.</p>.<p class="bodytext">For Pranav, a student, the flight was handy for him to reach Pune, his hometown with his grandmother after his summer vacation.</p>.<p><strong>Schedule of the new flight service</strong></p>.<p>The new flight will operate four times a week on the Delhi-Pune-Mangaluru sector, stated airport sources.</p>.<p>The flight departed from Mangaluru at 2.45 am to reach Pune at 4.20 am. After a 35 minute layover, the flight landed in New Delhi at 6.55 am.</p>.<p>The flight from New Delhi will depart from 9.05 pm and reach Pune at 11.05 pm. After a 40 minutes layover, it will depart from Pune at 11.45 pm and reach Mangaluru airport at 1.20 am.</p>.<p>The flight to New Delhi from Mangaluru had remained suspended for the past few years. Without a direct flight, the passengers bound to New Delhi had to depend on Bengaluru or Mumbai all these days.</p>