Wodeyar: Royal flight

Bangalore, July 21: He already has a palace on the ground. Now, Srikantadatta Narasimharaja Wodeyar wants a few in the air.

The scion of the former rulers of Mysore is set to turn entrepreneur and start a new airline. He promises passengers “the luxury of a palace” in the sky, not another cut-price airline.

The former Congress MP from Mysore expects to launch the airline early next year with two firms based in Hong Kong and Dubai as partners.

To start with, the company will acquire two Boeing aircraft and several smaller planes, with the thrust on connecting several cities in the south with New Delhi and Mumbai.

Wodeyar said the initial investment will be one of Rs 30 crore but did not reveal his share of the equity. Securing a licence and other approvals could take eight to 10 months.

“Initially, we want to concentrate on the south because this region has been neglected (in terms of tourist destinations and business centres). Our clientele will be from the IT, private industry and tourism sectors,” Wodeyar said.

“We will offer more comfort, better services and the best cuisine from the south on board. So, I feel, everyone can savour the luxury of a palace (in the sky).”

He said Mysore, the former capital of the Wodeyar dynasty, will be linked by the airline.

Before they can taste the ambience of a palace in the sky, prospective customers can sample the experience on the ground in Bangalore.

Wodeyar has decided to renovate his sprawling palace in Bangalore and throw open the gates to tourists in a couple of months.

Set in the heart of the city and spread over 450 acres, the palace was built by Wodeyar’s grandfather, the late Chamaraja Wodeyar X, in the mid-1880s. He had bought the property from a Major Garret for Rs 40,000.

Modelled after the Windsor Castle, the 125-year-old stone structure includes a durbar hall on the first floor, a ballroom under it and about 30 rooms.

The palace fell into a state of neglect following an ownership dispute between the state government and the former royals. However, with the Supreme Court ordering that status quo be maintained, Wodeyar has begun sprucing up the Tudor edifice as well as its d?cor: the oriental furniture, rosewood flooring of the ballroom, banisters, doors and windows.

Wodeyar said about 1,000 photographs, showing historical events, will be on display.