2 additional aero-bridges at Mangaluru airport

The new facility will give airlines much-needed operational flexibility in transferring passengers from an aircraft on the apron to the terminal, and vice-versa, especially during the monsoon.

Mangaluru International Airport (MIA) has operationalized two additional aero-bridges as part of a passenger centric initiative. This takes the total number of aero-bridges at the only airport in coastal Karnataka to six.

MIA has 12 parking slots, numbered 5 to 16, at the new airport in Kenjar, near Mangaluru. While parking slots 7-10 already had aero-bridges, slots 5 and 6 have also got this infrastructure. Now, slot numbers 5-10 are connected via aero-bridges.

The airport operationalised the new aero-bridges in consultation with all stakeholders, including airlines and the airport security group of CISF, to ensure a seamless travel experience for passengers.

The move to put these aero-bridges to use, both for domestic and international flight movements, will ensure that passengers are not exposed to the vagaries of nature while boarding or alighting from a plane.

Mangaluru airport is the gateway to coastal Karnataka, whose attractions include beaches near Mangaluru, Mulki, Udupi, Padubidri, Kundapur, Murudeshwar, the temple towns of Dharmasthala and Kukke Subrahmanya, besides several Jain pilgrimage centres.

The new facility will give airlines much-needed operational flexibility in transferring passengers from an aircraft on the apron to the terminal, and vice-versa, especially during the monsoon.

The new aero-bridges are attached to the new integrated terminal building. They will enable the airport to further optimise utilisation of the 11 parking slots on the apron. While six of these slots are connected to the terminal with aero-bridges, the rest are open bays.