New Delhi/Kannur, Dec 9 (UNI) Kannur International Airport was inaugurated on Sunday by Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu along with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
This is the fourth airport of the state after Kozhikode, Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi.
Mr Prabhu said the Kannur Airport, built on a public-private partnership (PPP) model, will become a new benchmark of how airports will be constructed in the country.
Mr Prabhu and Mr Vijayan jointly lighted lamp inside terminal building, marking inauguration of airport.
Spread across 2,000 acres and costing close to Rs 1,800 crore, the new airport in Kannur can handle around 2,000 passengers at a time and will serve more than 1.5 million international passengers yearly.
Mr Prabhu expressed his happiness for the people of Kerala.
'Excited to inaugurate long pending dream of #Kerala people- the Kannur International Airport alongwith CM of Kerala @vijayanpinarayi tomorrow. The strategically located airport offers convenience and connectivity to the people of North Kerala and South Karnataka,' he tweeted.
Mr Prabhu flagged off the first flight from the airport, an Air India Express flight with 180 passengers to Abu Dhabi along with the Kerala Chief Minister.
Mr Prabhu also met party leaders at the party office in Kannur and interacted with our Party senior office bearers and karyakartas
'Interacted with our Party senior office bearers and karyakartas. Encouraged them to continue their good work... Had comprehesive meetings with them to help address existing issues,' his tweet stated.
Mr Prabhu also paid tributes to Kerala BJP State President KG Mararji at the Balidana Smruti monument dedicated to the karyakartas who lost their lives upholding party's values.
'Offered tributes to the former Kerala BJP State President, Late K.G Mararji. Also paid my respects at the Balidana Smruti monument dedicated to the karyakartas who lost their lives upholding our party's values and principles,' he tweeted.
The KIAL commenced operations with an Air India Express flight taking off to Abu Dhabi. Two flights operated by GoAir are also scheduled to leave for Bengaluru and Thiruvananthapuram later in the day.
The KIAL airport is set to serve the people of Kannur and Kasaragod districts, who had to earlier depend on the Karippur airport in Kozhikode or the one in Mangalore in coastal Karnataka.
The choice of Abu Dhabi and Riyadh for the inaugural flight destinations from Kannur is critical as a large number of people from Malabar in northern Kerala are employed in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries like UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Flights from Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode to these countries witness heavy traffic round-the-year with prices soaring during festivals like Onam, Christmas, Vishu and Eid. Annually, the Kannur airport can handle up to one million international passengers and three lakh domestic fliers.
UNI RSA SNU 1815