Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will dedicate to the nation the charter gateway for private chartered flights at Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) on December 10. CIAL authorities said the facility would be the country’s largest business jet terminal, helping the growth of tourism in the State.
CIAL, which is the world’s first airport to be fully run on solar power, will have taken another step forward with the commissioning of the business jet terminal, which is expected to bring business and tourism together. The facility will be comparatively cheap.
There are two terminals already in operation at CIAL. Terminal-1 caters for domestic passengers while Terminal-3 caters for international passengers. The business jet terminal will be the second terminal. CIAL will also become one of the five airports in the country serving private jets.
Parking facility for private cars, drive-in porch, luxurious lobby, business centre, check-in, immigration, customs, health security facilities, duty-free shop, foreign exchange counter, and videoconferencing facilities are available at the new terminal, spread over 40,000 sq. ft. There will also be a safe house for VIPs in need of such security cover.
Despite the pandemic, CIAL has been able to meet its targets for building infrastructure facilities. The Arippara hydroelectric power generation facility and the Payyanur solar farm had been commissioned over the last 12 months, said a CIAL communication. CIAL has also lined up several projects for the future. The business jet terminal was built at a cost of ₹30 crore in 10 months.
