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.
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.
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.
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.
The airport had arranged a traditional water cannon salute to the aircraft as it taxied into the parking stand.
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.
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
him.
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.
For Pranav, a student, the flight was handy for him to reach Pune, his hometown with his grandmother after his summer vacation.
Schedule of the new flight service
The new flight will operate four times a week on the Delhi-Pune-Mangaluru sector, stated airport sources.
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.
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.
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.