The Kannur International Airport plans to launch commercial operations on May 24, 2016.
Trial runs are expected to begin in December this year.
Financial closure
Managing Director of Kannur International Airport Ltd G. Chandramouli said here on Saturday that the project had achieved near financial closure.
He was making a presentation on the airport project at the Global NRK Meet 2015, which ended here on Saturday.
The project, involving a capital expenditure of nearly Rs.1,900 crore, has attracted substantial investments from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and only two per cent of the 16 per cent investments open to the public remained unsubscribed.
Non-Resident Keralites (NoRKs) are expected to use this window of opportunity.
The airport expects its catchment areas to be Coorg and Mysore in Karnataka and the northern districts of Kasaragod, Kannur, Wayanad, and Kozhikode.
Hub status
Minister for Culture and Rural Affairs K.C. Joseph told a session at the NRK meet that he expected the Union government to take a favourable decision on hub status for airports in Kerala, including the one in Kochi.
He said that the issue was taken up immediately after the Union government’s recent decision on hub status for Indian airports was declared.
The Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Leader of the Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan had also taken up the matter with Prime Minister Narendra Modi when they visited Delhi last week.
Health
A press release issued by the organisers of the meet said that Health Secretary K.S. Elangovan highlighted the achievements of the health sector in the State during the session and sought the support of NoRKs in ‘Karunyam Kerala Project,’ which offered free treatment to cancer patients.
Trial runs expected from December
this year
Hub status for Kerala airports likely
