Newstrack

Kerala fast-tracks intl airport at Kannur

Rajeev PI - Kochi

The state government has decided to fast-track acquisition of another 2,000 acres of land for Kannur airport. With this move, Kerala is now on the track to having the most number of international airports in the country - an average of one every 130-odd kilometre.

The Rs 1,100 crore Kannur international airport, Kerala's fourth, is likely to be a public-private-partnership (PPP) in the Build-Own-Transfer-mode. But, finer details will only be firmed up after chief minister V S Achuthanandan holds a series of meetings. The airport, banking on the 2.5 million and a still growing number of Kerala NRIs and exports, besides tourism industry, would have a single 13,000-feet runway capable of taking in aircraft of almost any size. It has already managed to get almost all clearances from the Centre. More importantly, it has also wriggled out of the civil aviation ministry diktat that all new airports ought to have two, not just one, runways and that the nearest airport should not be within 200 kilometres.

The Kannur airport will have an international airport each on its north and south at Kozhikode and Mangalore.

Achuthanandan has indicated that the airport will be constructed broadly along the lines of the highly successful Nedumbassery airport in Kochi and will be funded largely by NRIs. Government sources, however, say that while the government would hold 26 per cent equity in the venture converted mostly from the land cost, the draft plans have some differences. "The airport itself does not need more than 1,500-odd acres, but we intend to acquire about 2,300 acres," they said.

Kerala's minister in-charge of aviation, M Vijayakumar, insisted that the government was keeping its options open. "We already have feelers from all over and are studying different options. We will keep things open until we firm things more. But the process would not take long," the minister said.

Meanwhile, a strong contender for the project remains Mumbai-based Leela group. But sources say it is not keen on a PPP model. However, the group has already reached an understanding with Singapore's Changi Airport for an equity and technological partnership, in case it gets to develop the airport.