Kochi: With government pushing for improved intra-state air connectivity, Cochin international airport Ltd (Cial) is exploring the possibility of starting services from Kochi to Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode and Kannur. A senior Cial official said domestic carrier IndiGo has confirmed a Kannur-Thiruvananthapuram service via Kochi by February-end. Talks are on between Cial and domestic carriers and more intra-state flights can be expected in coming months.
“Intra-state connectivity has been a focus area for Cial. We are analyzing the increasing trend of people taking flights to travel within the state and it takes a lot of discussion with carriers to start new services. There might be new services in summer schedule,” said Cial MD VJ Kurian.
Passengers, mostly businessmen and IT professionals, who fly frequently from Kochi to Trivandrum and Kozhikode, welcomed the decision. As of now there are only four services from Kochi to Thiruvananthapuram including an IndiGo flight in the morning and an Air India flight at night. Similarly, there is one daily service by Air India Express to Bahrain via Kozhikode at 8.30am.
“If I go to Thiruvananthapuram from Kochi by road, the round trip will cost me half-a-day in travelling. Even trains take same amount of time. A flight will take 45 minutes and you can use time productively. People now realize that airfares are cheaper and there is an increasing demand for intra-state flights,” said vice-chairman of SCMS Group of Educational Institutions Pramod P Thevannoor.
More intra-state flights can boost IT industry as Kochi and Kozhikode are developing as IT hubs. “One of the biggest beneficiaries will be IT professionals. Many companies at Technopark want to expand their business to Kochi and Kozhikode but the main concern is travelling time and lack of seamless air connectivity. If more flights are in, it will give a major thrust to IT hubs,” said CEO of Infopark, Technopark and Cyberpark Hrishikesh Nair.
28/01/19 Anantha Narayanan K/Times of India
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“Intra-state connectivity has been a focus area for Cial. We are analyzing the increasing trend of people taking flights to travel within the state and it takes a lot of discussion with carriers to start new services. There might be new services in summer schedule,” said Cial MD VJ Kurian.
Passengers, mostly businessmen and IT professionals, who fly frequently from Kochi to Trivandrum and Kozhikode, welcomed the decision. As of now there are only four services from Kochi to Thiruvananthapuram including an IndiGo flight in the morning and an Air India flight at night. Similarly, there is one daily service by Air India Express to Bahrain via Kozhikode at 8.30am.
“If I go to Thiruvananthapuram from Kochi by road, the round trip will cost me half-a-day in travelling. Even trains take same amount of time. A flight will take 45 minutes and you can use time productively. People now realize that airfares are cheaper and there is an increasing demand for intra-state flights,” said vice-chairman of SCMS Group of Educational Institutions Pramod P Thevannoor.
More intra-state flights can boost IT industry as Kochi and Kozhikode are developing as IT hubs. “One of the biggest beneficiaries will be IT professionals. Many companies at Technopark want to expand their business to Kochi and Kozhikode but the main concern is travelling time and lack of seamless air connectivity. If more flights are in, it will give a major thrust to IT hubs,” said CEO of Infopark, Technopark and Cyberpark Hrishikesh Nair.
28/01/19 Anantha Narayanan K/Times of India
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