Kannur: The draft civil aviation policy of the central government, which proposes to create only six international hubs in the country, thus limiting the international air traffic to these airports only, there is concern as to what would be the future of the upcoming Kannur international airport (KIAL).
The proposal for an international airport in Kannur was mooted in the early nineties considering the international passengers from the north Malabar region, especially in the Gulf sector.
But if the policy comes into effect and if the airport is given only domestic status, that would affect the prospects of international airlines operating from here and only the national airline like Air India could operate in the international route.
"If a person coming from the Gulf has to get down in Mumbai or Bangalore and catch another flight or train to reach Kerala, that would be a tough situation," said an official with KIAL. "If this airport is reduced to a domestic one, then the very purpose of having it would be gone, because KIAL is basically aimed at the international traffic."
If this proposal is approved, India will have only six metropolitan airports — Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore and Hyderabad as hub airports, while Kerala will have no place at all, said Sachin Suryakant Makhecha, honorary secretary, The North Malabar Chamber of Commerce (NMCC).
02/02/15 P Sudhakaran/Times of India
The proposal for an international airport in Kannur was mooted in the early nineties considering the international passengers from the north Malabar region, especially in the Gulf sector.
But if the policy comes into effect and if the airport is given only domestic status, that would affect the prospects of international airlines operating from here and only the national airline like Air India could operate in the international route.
"If a person coming from the Gulf has to get down in Mumbai or Bangalore and catch another flight or train to reach Kerala, that would be a tough situation," said an official with KIAL. "If this airport is reduced to a domestic one, then the very purpose of having it would be gone, because KIAL is basically aimed at the international traffic."
If this proposal is approved, India will have only six metropolitan airports — Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore and Hyderabad as hub airports, while Kerala will have no place at all, said Sachin Suryakant Makhecha, honorary secretary, The North Malabar Chamber of Commerce (NMCC).
02/02/15 P Sudhakaran/Times of India
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