Stany Bela
Daijiworld Media Network – Kannur
Kannur, Jun 26: The much awaited Kannur airport is all set to be opened for public in September later this year. After a meeting with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, union minister for Civil Aviation Suresh Prabhu announced the opening of Kannur International Airport Ltd (KIAL).
The Rs 2,292 crore worth airport, located at Mattanur near Kannur, is fast nearing completion on a 2,330 acre land. With a 95,000 sq mtr terminal building, this airport will become the 8th largest terminal in India. With this airport, Kerala will have four international airports with three others at Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode.
While Kerala state government has 35 percent stake in the airport, public sector undertakings has a share of 25 per cent, 10 per cent with the Airport Authority of India and the remaining 30 percent is with cooperatives, banks and individual shareholders.
The airport is situated 25 km away from Kannur and Thalassery railway stations which gives easy connectivity and transport. The four lane road from the airport which connects to the national highway passing through Thalassery, Iritti, Taliparamba and Kuttyadi will give new direction for development and township culture.
The airport has been equipped to operate code E aircrafts like Boeing B777 which will be soon ready for operation. The airport will also support code F aircrafts like airbus A380. With 6 aerobridges and 48 checking counters, the airport is expecting a million passengers in its first year and 5.08 million passengers by the year 2025.
According to sources, the airport will start off with a runway of 3,050 metres and in another 18 months after it opens, it will see its runway length increase to 3,400 metres and eventually it will touch 4,000 metres, making it one of the four biggest airports in the country.