MANGALORE: Members of the Indian Muslim Cultural Centre (a wing of the Indian Nation League), a UAE-based organisation, staged a dharna in front of the Bajpe airport here on Wednesday.

It urged the Union Government to upgrade the airport to international standards and start flights to international destinations at the earliest.

They submitted a memorandum to Union Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel through M.R. Vasudev, director, Bajpe airport, Airports Authority of India. The memorandum said that of the total passenger traffic handled at the Bajpe airport annually, approximately 30 per cent was bound for international destinations via Mumbai airport. In 2004-05 Mangalore airport handled 2,68,424 passengers, 18.58 per cent more than the previous year.

Customs and immigration counters, a runway and four parking stands are ready at the airport. But nobody knows the reason behind delaying the commencement of the international flights.

The memorandum said that it was the long cherished dream of people of North Malabar (in Kerala) and Dakshina Kannada to have direct flights to West Asian countries from Mangalore airport.

The people from these areas working in West Asia will be benefited if direct flights operated from Mangalore. It is suspected that the authorities fear that other zones may be marginalised if international flights start operation from here.

P.M.A. Salim, Kozhikode MLA, N. A. Suleman, secretary, Federation of International Air Transport Agents' Association, and others led the dharna.

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