Only 20% of the inbuilt facilities of Kannur International Airport are used, says a report by The Hindu. The airport is yet to open its gates to foreign airlines and has less number of domestic carriers operating from it.
“Opening the doors to foreign carriers would have resulted in 40% use of the state-of-the-art facilities. One flight of a foreign airline would make the difference,” the report quoted the Managing Director of KIAL V. Thulasidas.
National carrier Air India, its low-cost arm Air India Express, IndiGo and GoAir are the primary airline operators that cater the aviation needs from Kannur airport. Among them, Air India Express has slots to operate to and from Riyadh, Doha, Sharjah, and Abu Dhabi.
Also Read: Kannur Airport Seeks Flybus Services to Connect Mysuru, Kodagu to Airport
Earlier, the authorities of the airport confirmed that the passenger count of the airport has been showing a continuous increase and that it has gone beyond the expectations. The total number of passengers was 1,47,733 in May with 61,485 international passengers and 86,248 domestic passengers. In May, 956 domestic flights were operated from Kannur airport, and there were 384 international flight movements too.
The airport shows impressive demands for the domestic flights, as the passengers from the nearby places including Mysuru and Kodagu depend on Kannur airport. The airport also gave a boost to tourism in North Malabar.
Inquiries are coming from beyond Gulf. Steps are being taken at the highest level to enable the flight operations by foreign carriers from Kannur airport, Thulasidas said.
The airport needs more flights and the opening of the cargo complex, duty-free shop and food courts for increased revenue.
Also Read: Kerala Chief Minister Raises Concerns to Centre Regarding the Hike in Airfare
