Arrangements are on in full swing for the inauguration of the Kannur International Airport on December 9. The inaugural flight will be Air India Express to Abu Dhabi and more carriers like GoAir, Indigo, and SpiceJet are waiting in line to get clearance.
Close to the Kerala–Karnataka border, the airport is touted to boost tourism in both the Kerala and Karnataka. The airport is just 91 kms away from Kodagu, a major tourist destination in Karnataka which is known as the Scotland of India, creating a new market for commercial crops from Kodagu.
The Kannur airport is the second airport developed in public-private partnership (PPP) model in Kerala and has a runway of 3,050 metres as of now. But very soon, this will be extended to 4,000 metres, making the airport one of the elite few in the country to have a runway that long.
Initially, the airport will have 24 check-in counters, which can be increased up to 48 as per requirement. The airport is provided with six passenger boarding bridges, which can also be increased in future.
Gulf airlines are likely to get special permission from the Indian civil aviation authorities to operate two daily flights to Kannur International Airport
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