Kannur International Airport, situated 25 kilometers from Kannur and Thalaserry railway stations, arguably is the most modern airport under construction in India. Although it is situated on the northern tip of Kerala, it serves Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. With 6 aerobridges, 48 check-in counters, 16 immigration and customs counters, KIAL is equipped to handle one million passengers in the first year. This is expected to go up to 5 million passengers by the year 2025. On the sidelines of "Wings India" 2018 at Hyderabad, K S Shibu Kumar, the Chief Project Engineer of KIAL, spoke to Gautam Sen and answered his questions with elan.
So how did it all begin?
KIAL is a company formed by Govt. of Kerala in 2010. Chairman of the company is the Chief Minister. I came in from Airports Authority of India on deputation and started working on the mandatory clearances from MHA, MOD, IMD, DGCA and the biggest challenge of clearance from Ministry of Environment and Forest. It's a PPP project on BOO model. 30 per cent is owned by Govt. of Kerala, 25 per cent BPCL and other small PSUs, 10 per cent AAI, balance 35 per cent is open to public. Another Rs. 892 crore came as consortium of Canara Bank, South Indian Bank & Federal Bank. We are short of Rs. 400 Crore which will be put up for IPO at a later date.
What was your personal experience, in choosing your team and how did your past experience help you?
My experience of 8 years at Delhi airport trained me a lot on international airports. Another 8 years in Tiruvanthapuram allowed me to interact with the aviation industry closely. My colleagues, who are now heading various airports in India were consulted during the project. The team shortlisted from AAI workforce, has done a grand job in 4 years, considering that effectively we work half the year due to heavy rains.
Why was Kannur chosen for an International airport?
Apart from the tourist point of view, it was a strategic decision for defence. We have a defence Enclave within KIAL. Spaces of 10 acres each has been earmarked for Airforce, Navy and Coast Guard to operate out of Kannur Airport. This has the shortest distance from the Gulf.
With so many modern airports constructed and under construction, what is the USP of Kannur Airport?
There is not one but many USPs of KIAL. Truly an International Airport constructed on 2300 acres of land, KIAL is equipped to operate Code - E aircrafts (like B-777) and compatible with Code - F aircrafts (such as A-380). We have a parking stand and a double-decker aerobridge ready for Airbus A-380 to land and park. The runways are designed to expand to accommodate A-380 when required. KIAL is going to be a hub for cargo in Kerala. Emirates has already scheduled 2 wide bodied aircrafts for Kannur Airport each day, one in the morning and the other in the evening. KIAL has 9,553 sqm of international air cargo complex, on modular format, expandable when required. This airport is going to be the second international airport of Karnataka. Coorg is 45 minutes and Mysore is 4 hours from KIAL. From tourist standpoint, 50 per cent catchment is from Karnataka and other 50 per cent Kerala and Tamil Nadu combined. It also connects Bekal and Wayanad. The Terminal building is built in a way that it integrates passengers from both domestic and international sector under one roof. The swing glass door allows the arrival section to be compartmentalized into international arrival when an international flight lands. Otherwise it is open to domestic passengers at other times.
15/03/18 Gautam Sen/millenniumpost
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So how did it all begin?
KIAL is a company formed by Govt. of Kerala in 2010. Chairman of the company is the Chief Minister. I came in from Airports Authority of India on deputation and started working on the mandatory clearances from MHA, MOD, IMD, DGCA and the biggest challenge of clearance from Ministry of Environment and Forest. It's a PPP project on BOO model. 30 per cent is owned by Govt. of Kerala, 25 per cent BPCL and other small PSUs, 10 per cent AAI, balance 35 per cent is open to public. Another Rs. 892 crore came as consortium of Canara Bank, South Indian Bank & Federal Bank. We are short of Rs. 400 Crore which will be put up for IPO at a later date.
What was your personal experience, in choosing your team and how did your past experience help you?
My experience of 8 years at Delhi airport trained me a lot on international airports. Another 8 years in Tiruvanthapuram allowed me to interact with the aviation industry closely. My colleagues, who are now heading various airports in India were consulted during the project. The team shortlisted from AAI workforce, has done a grand job in 4 years, considering that effectively we work half the year due to heavy rains.
Why was Kannur chosen for an International airport?
Apart from the tourist point of view, it was a strategic decision for defence. We have a defence Enclave within KIAL. Spaces of 10 acres each has been earmarked for Airforce, Navy and Coast Guard to operate out of Kannur Airport. This has the shortest distance from the Gulf.
With so many modern airports constructed and under construction, what is the USP of Kannur Airport?
There is not one but many USPs of KIAL. Truly an International Airport constructed on 2300 acres of land, KIAL is equipped to operate Code - E aircrafts (like B-777) and compatible with Code - F aircrafts (such as A-380). We have a parking stand and a double-decker aerobridge ready for Airbus A-380 to land and park. The runways are designed to expand to accommodate A-380 when required. KIAL is going to be a hub for cargo in Kerala. Emirates has already scheduled 2 wide bodied aircrafts for Kannur Airport each day, one in the morning and the other in the evening. KIAL has 9,553 sqm of international air cargo complex, on modular format, expandable when required. This airport is going to be the second international airport of Karnataka. Coorg is 45 minutes and Mysore is 4 hours from KIAL. From tourist standpoint, 50 per cent catchment is from Karnataka and other 50 per cent Kerala and Tamil Nadu combined. It also connects Bekal and Wayanad. The Terminal building is built in a way that it integrates passengers from both domestic and international sector under one roof. The swing glass door allows the arrival section to be compartmentalized into international arrival when an international flight lands. Otherwise it is open to domestic passengers at other times.
15/03/18 Gautam Sen/millenniumpost
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