CM appeals to expatriates to invest in Kannur airport

‘Steps under way to start aviation and non-aviation industries near the airport’

December 10, 2019 01:12 am | Updated 01:12 am IST - KANNUR

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan near the war plane Mig 27 displayed at the Kannur international airport as part of the first anniversary celebrations of the airport at Mattaur in Kannur on Monday.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan near the war plane Mig 27 displayed at the Kannur international airport as part of the first anniversary celebrations of the airport at Mattaur in Kannur on Monday.

Maintaining that the success of any development project is possible only with the support of people, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has called upon non-resident Keralites to come forward and invest in Kannur International Airport Limited (KIAL) and surrounding areas.

Inaugurating the anniversary celebrations of the airport, he said, “With the airport in place, we have huge development opportunities ahead of us. Since the Azheekal Port is in operation, north Malabar will witness a massive development drive. Steps are under way to start aviation and non-aviation industries in the vicinity of the airport, and discussions are in the final stage. Moreover, efforts are on to acquire land for the purpose.”

The Chief Minister observed that Kannur airport had become the most useful facility for the people of north Malabar.

“The airport employs over 2,000 people directly and twice as many people indirectly. Road development is also essential, and work on six airport roads is nearing completion,” he said.

He added that around 50 domestic and foreign services were being operated from the airport.

The GoAir flight to Dammam will commence operations from December 19. Air India has offered to fly to Jeddah.

Foreign airlines such as Emirates and Etihad have also expressed interest in operating services from Kannur, he said.

Major feat

The Kannur facility can now hold 20 flights at a time, and plans are afoot to expand the area by April to accommodate 40 aircraft, he noted. He said the airport could serve 10 lakh passengers within nine months of its launch, which was impressive.

“The achievements of the Kannur airport have opened the eyes of those who questioned the need for a fourth airport in the State,” he said.

Industries Minister E.P. Jayarajan presided over the function.

With the Kannur Medical College becoming a centre of excellence and the International Ayurveda Research Institute set to become a reality soon, Kannur offers immense hope for the health sector, Minister of Health K.K. Shylaja said.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.