Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said that the State government is expediting steps to secure the Central government’s permits for operating more international and domestic services from the Kannur International Airport.
Addressing the ninth annual general meeting of Kannur International Airport Ltd. (KIAL) here on Saturday, the Chief Minister, who is also chairman of KIAL, said that more international airline services should be started from the new airport for maximum utilisation of its state-of-the-art facilities.
He said more domestic services should also be started from the airport. At present, international services were being operated only by the Air India Express. While GoAir was operating domestic services, IndiGo would start domestic services from here soon.
Mr. Vijayan said that while GoAir and IndiGo were ready to start international services, Air India and SpiceJet were conducting preliminary studies required for starting international services. Services of international airlines should be essential considering the conveyance requirements of non-resident Keralites, export potential of the region and parts of neighbouring States, he said. The State government was exerting pressure on the Centre for this to happen, he said.
At present, the international services were being conducted in the United Arab Emirate (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar sectors, the Chief Minister said stressing the need for starting services in all the Gulf sectors, including Bahrain and Kuwait, as also other foreign destinations. He said the increase of passengers and flights were inevitable for the development of the airport.
The new airport should attract even passengers from adjacent parts of the neighbouring Karnataka as also industries. Steps were under way for acquiring land near the airport for starting industrial units. Exploitation of tourism potential of neighbouring Kasaragod, Wayanad and Kozhikode districts was also vital for the airport, he said.
The AGM also resolved to increase the share capital of KIAL from ₹1,500 crore to ₹3,500 crore. Ministers E. Chandrashekharan, E.P. Jayarajan, K.K. Shylaja, Ramachandran Kadannappally and A.K. Saseendran; KIAL directors Anantha Krishnan and Hassan Kunhi; Managing Director V. Thulasidas were present at the meeting.
Mr. Thulasidas said that a meeting of airline companies would be held in Thiruvananthapuram on January 21 to discuss the launch of more international and domestic services from the arport.
Addressing a meeting of KIAL shareholders, he said the meeting would be chaired by the Chief Minister. Officials of the Ministry of Civil Aviation would also attend the meeting, he said. He said that in addition to Indian airline companies, airlines of South East Asian and Gulf countries were also invited to the meeting.
He said the construction of the first cargo complex of the airport would be completed in two months.
