Kannur airport on global stage

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kannur International Airport Limited will make its presence felt at an international aviation summit to be held in Australia in March in order to woo more airlines to the upcoming greenfield airport.

KIAL will be setting up a stall at Routes Asia - 2018, to be held at Brisbane in Australia from March 18 to 20. Representatives of about 100 airlines and 30 tourism authorities are expected to participate.

KIAL managing director P. Balakiran said that the potential of the airport would be showcased at the event which would have participation from almost all leading airlines. 

“We are also participating in other similar events, including the one at Hyderabad recently, as part of attracting more airlines to the upcoming Kannur airport,” he said.

Aviation industry sources said that the tourism potential of the region as well as the sizable NRK community would be the highlights of the Kannur airport. Apart from the tourist destinations of North Kerala, the Kannur airport could also highlight proximity to Coorg in Karanataka.

Already Jet Airways and GoAir had almost promised to operate to Abu Dhabi and Dammam from Kannur and talks with several other airlines were also in advanced stages. 

It also joined the Centre’s regional connectivity scheme Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagarik (UDAN). 

The airport is proposed to be commissioned this year itself.