Cochin International Airport

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Cochin International Airport
Nedumbassery Airport
Cochin Airport Logo.svg
Cochin International Airport.JPG
The domestic terminal of Cochin International Airport
IATA: COK – ICAO: VOCI
COK is located in India airports
COK
Location of airport in Kerala
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner Cochin International Airport Society Limited
Operator Cochin International Airport Limited
Serves Greater Cochin Area
Location Nedumbassery, Kerala
Hub for
Elevation AMSL 9 m / 30 ft
Coordinates 10°09′20″N 76°23′29″E / 10.15556°N 76.39139°E / 10.15556; 76.39139
Website http://www.cial.aero/
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
27/09 3,400 11,155 Asphalt
Helipads
Number Length Surface
m ft
H1 19 63 Asphalt
Statistics (Apr '11 - Mar '12)
Passenger movements 4,717,650
Aircraft movements 40,181
Cargo tonnage 42,706
Source: AAI[1][2][3]

Cochin International Airport (IATA: COK, ICAO: VOCI) is an international airport serving the city of Kochi and its neighbouring districts. The airport is located in Nedumbassery, about 30 km (19 mi)[4] northeast of Ernakulam, in the state of Kerala, India. It is the busiest and largest airport in the state of Kerala. For the financial year 2011-12, it was the fourth busiest airport in India in terms of international passenger traffic ferrying 2,586,658 passengers and seventh busiest in terms of overall passenger traffic carrying 4,717,650 passengers.[5] The airport is the primary base for Air India Express operations and is a focus city for Air India, GoAir, IndiGo, Jet Airways, JetLite and SpiceJet.

Cochin International Airport is the first airport in India developed under a public-private partnership (PPP) model. The airport pioneered the concept of private investment in the airport sector after being incorporated as a public limited company, receiving investments from nearly 10,000 non-resident Indians (NRIs) from 30 countries.[6]

The airport handled 4.7 million passengers and had air traffic movements (ATM) of about 800 per week for the year 2011–12. The airport handles approximately 13,000 passengers every day.[2] 9 domestic airlines and 17 international airlines connect Cochin with nearly 30 destinations nationally and internationally.

Contents

History

The original air facilities in Kochi were an aerodome and airstrip on Willingdon Island, built in 1936[citation needed] by the British Residency of Kochi Kingdom, intended for transporting British officials involved in the development of Cochin Port. The airstrip was converted into a military airport by the Royal Indian Navy during World War II.[7] The military facility hosted naval fighter planes and was intended to thwart possible Japanese air raids.[8][9]

After Indian Independence, the Indian Navy operated the airport, though it permitted civilian aircraft to use the facility. The Gulf economic boom of the 1980s made it necessary to develop international transportation to Kochi in the interests of expatriates working in the Middle East.[10]

In October 1990, the Kerala Chamber of Commerce, supported by local industry, passed a resolution to expand the Naval airport to accommodate large jets and facilitate direct flights to the Middle East. The resolution was rejected by the Navy for security reasons. A new airport was built near Kochi in 1991 instead.

Construction

VT-AXE of Air India Express parked at the International Terminal

The original proposal for the airport outlined an estimated cost of INR100 crore (US$18 million) and an expected date of commission in 1997. Approval was granted in May 1993. The funding was envisaged to be from interest-free loans from non-resident Indians working abroad, donations from industrial undertakings, exporters, cooperative societies and loans from the state government. A body called the Cochin International Airport Society, under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister of Kerala, was registered in July 1993 to execute the project. For the purposes of better fund mobilisation, as well as administrative convenience, a public limited company under the name Cochin International Airport Ltd. (CIAL) was registered in March 1994 with an authorised capital of INR90 crore (US$16 million)[11]

A total of 4,200 acres (17,000,000 m2) acres of land was acquired for the construction of the airport. Approximately 2,300 land owners and 872 families were resettled under a rehabilitation package.[12] Major electric lines and an irrigation canal had to be diverted for the construction.

The facility was formally inaugurated by the President of India on May 25, 1999, and the first commercial service began on June 10, 1999. The operations from the old naval airport were moved to CIAL on July 1, 1999.[13]

Expansion

Phase 1 and 2

The airport had 45,000 m2 (480,000 sq ft) of floor space at its inauguration. CIAL envisioned six phases of expansion over a period of 20 years, the third phase of which was completed in 2009. Most of the expansion has occurred in the international terminal, as it accounts for more than 78% of all traffic. In 2002 the original airport's floor area had risen to 54,000 m2 (580,000 sq ft) due to the expansion of the international departures block.

With a rising number of airlines operating at the airport, CIAL decided to construct an exclusive terminal for international arrivals[14] which increased the floor space to 60,000 m2 (650,000 sq ft), increasing passport controls and baggage carousels in addition to expanding the international departures floor space. As part of phase two of the expansion plans, an airline center complex of 7,500 m2 (81,000 sq ft) was constructed on the western side of the terminal to accommodate offices of airlines operating from the airport and CIAL's administrative offices. The cargo terminal was also expanded in the second phase.

Phase 3

Work on the third phase was intended to accommodate 5 million passenger movements annually and was started in 2007.[15] The third phase involved the commissioning of a central block, connecting the domestic and international terminals, and enlarging the airside area to accommodate more gates and waiting areas along with increased shopping areas. This increased the built-up area by another 29,700 m2 (320,000 sq ft).[16] The airside area of the international arrivals and departures blocks were integrated together and glass walls were installed to allow for more natural light. The runway was re-surfaced in 2008.[17] The number of parking areas were increased from 15 to 24, including 3 dedicated for cargo airlines. The third phase also completed the expansion of the cargo village and a second aircraft taxi-way to the MRO facility.

Phase 4

The fourth phase of expansion was originally planned to upgrade the domestic terminal, which has remained untouched in the past 3 phases.[18][19] However, the expansion plans were changed after the new UDF Government took over the administration of the state in May 2011.

As per the announced plans, the current international terminal is to be converted completely into a domestic terminal, while a new state-of-the-art international terminal is to be built. As per the new plans announced by the Board of Directors in September 2011, the new international terminal would come up on the eastern side of the existing structure. The built up space of the new terminal would be 1,500,000 sq ft (140,000 m2) having segregated departures and arrivals at different levels.[20] [21] [22] [23] The terminal will have 16 aero-bridges and an additional 30 parking bays. The new terminal would have a capacity to handle 4800 passengers at any given point of time. The arrivals will have 12 baggage carousels and increased immigration facilities. The new terminal is expected to be commissioned by the last quarter of 2014.[24]

The current domestic terminal would be converted into Royal Pavilion and would handle VIP and private chartered flights and jets. The current international terminal, once converted into a domestic terminal, will have 5 aero-bridges and 10 boarding gates facility, apart from increased parking bays.

Management

Cochin airport is the first in India to be built in a public–private partnership and is owned by a public limited company called Cochin International Airport Limited, better known as CIAL, floated by the government of Kerala in 1994. The Government of Kerala holds 33.36% stake, making it single largest investor in the project.[25] Indian Government Companies like Air India, BPCL, AAI holds 8.74% stake, while foreign companies like Abu Dhabi based Emke Group, the Oman based Galfar Group, UAE based Majeed Bukatara Trading holds 5.42% stake. Various Indian companies hold 8.57% stake, while Scheduled commercial banks like Federal Bank, SBT and Canara Bank holds 5.91%.[26] Remaining 38.03% stake is held by more than 10,000 personal investors from 29 countries, mostly non resident Indians.[27]

The company has decided to go for public offering and giving 10 million shares to HUDCO as part of debt settlement, which would lead HUDCO having 3.37% stake in the company and reduction of stake of other holders.[26]

The Chief Minister of Kerala (Oommen Chandy at present) is the ex-officio chairman of CIAL. V J Kurian is the Managing Director of the company, appointed on 10 June 2011.[28]

CIAL is one of the most profitable airports in the country. In last financial year 2010-2011, CIAL reported a profit after tax of INR90.10 crore (US$16 million), with a gross income of INR245.59 crore (US$45 million), with a sharp increase of 40% from previous year.[29]

Terminals

Aerial shot of Cochin Airport
Air India Express Boeing 737-800 taxiing towards runway.

Cochin International Airport has three terminals, where one terminal is for Domestic Passengers and another for International Passengers and there is a cargo terminal spread over an area of 4,200 acres (1,700 ha).

Domestic
The waiting area at the Departure Gates

The domestic terminal has an area of 13,500 m2 (145,000 sq ft) and is designed to handle up to 400 passengers at peak times. The departure hall has 26 Common Use Terminal Equipment (CUTE) enabled check-in counters, including 6 premium check-in counters, 6 self check in counters. It also has 6 security gates and a common waiting area that can accommodate 600 passengers at a time. A family lounge and a premium lounge for business class passengers are also present. A children's play area and small food court are housed in the waiting area. Twelve gates facility are available for domestic passengers. The arrivals hall has 3 baggage carousels.

International
Check-in counters at the International Terminal

The international terminal covers an area of 46,451 m2 (499,990 sq ft). Both the departure and arrival halls of the international terminal are designed to accommodate 1800 people each at any given time. The departure hall is equipped with 42 CUTE enabled check-in counters, including 10 premium check-in counters. The airport is the fifth airport in India to install advanced in-line baggage screening systems, replacing conventional x-ray based manual screening.[30][31] It also has 36 passport control counters, 12 security gates and 12 customs counters. There are four premium lounges for first class and business class passengers. There are 10 gates and 5 jetways. The arrival hall has 24 passport control counters and 4 baggage carousels.

New International Terminal

On September 8, 2012, the director board of CIAL approved the design of the new Int'l terminal which will cost INR600 crore (US$110 million). The terminal will have two levels, the ground level for arrivals and the top level for departures. It will be able to handle 12 million passengers annually and 4800 passengers during peak hours. It will have 16 aerobridges with a floor area of 139,354.56 m2 (1,500,000.0 sq ft). The terminal is expected to manage passenger traffic till 2030.

After the construction of the new international terminal, it is planned to convert the existing international terminal to a domestic terminal and reserve the current domestic terminal for business jets.[32]

Cargo

Cochin Airport has a dedicated cargo center located on the eastern side of the airport complex. The cargo center is one of the largest facilities in the country with a total floor space of 120,000 sq ft (11,000 m2) in 50 acres (200,000 m2) of land. The cargo terminal handled around 40,000 MT last year[which?], with more than 25% growth.[citation needed] There are three complexes in the cargo village:

  • The Center for Dry Cargo (CDC), with an area of 50,000 sq ft (4,600 m2), has a dedicated warehousing facility and air-customs inspection facility for both import and export.[33][dead link]
  • The Center for Perishable Cargo (CPC) is the largest dedicated cold storage center for perishable goods in the country, has a floor area of about 22,000 sq ft (2,000 m2) and can handle approximately 25,000 metric tonnes of cargo. It was commissioned in 2008 at a cost of INR38 crore (US$7.0 million) jointly by CIAL, Government of India through Agricultural and Food Promotion Export Development Authority (APEDA) and Government of Kerala.[34][unreliable source?]
  • The Transshipment Cargo Complex is a dedicated warehouse allocated for transshipment cargo. The import and export cargo from the customs warehouses in the catchment area, as well as from airports like Chennai, Bangalore, Coimbatore etc., are handled and stored at this centre for export.[33]

In addition, an exclusive domestic cargo complex has also been constructed for private domestic logistics firms and India Post services.

Infrastructure

Air traffic control

The air traffic control (ATC) tower is 60 m (200 ft) tall. Cochin ATC controls flights below an altitude of 18,000 ft (5,500 m). The airport has an instrument landing system (ILS) using distance measuring equipment (DME). The ATC uses Doppler VHF omni range I and II.[35]

Airport Surveillance Radar

The airport has signed an agreement with AAI to install an advanced airport surveillance radar (ASR) as well as Monopulse Secondary Surveillance Radar (MSSR).[36][37] In addition, a Surface Movement Radar is to be installed for effective monitoring of flights in the runway and parking bays.[38] The new radar system will reduce the holding time of the aircraft before landing from the present level of 12 minutes to 3 minutes. This means that four aircraft can land within 12 minutes whereas it takes about 40 minutes for this currently. The radar will also allow more accurate alignment tracking for landing of the aircraft. The radars will be installed near the runway. The radar at Cochin airport will be networked with the systems at the Chennai, Mangalore and Thiruvananthapuram airports. The radar, expected to cost about INR25 lakhs has been imported from France. Installation and testing works of ASR and MSSR is expected to be completed by March 2013.[39]

Runway

With a length of 3,900 m (12,800 ft) and width of 54 m (177 ft), the runway is equipped to operate any type of aircraft in commercial service. It has a full length parallel taxiway of 3,900 m (12,800 ft).[40][41][42] The runway is spread over the panchayat areas of Nedumbasserry, Sreemoolanagaram and Kanjoor.

Cochin Airport has one helipad for dedicated use of helicopters, meant for air-taxi purposes. Plans for constructing a heliport are underway.[43]

Airlines and destinations

Passenger airlines

Airlines Destinations Terminal
Air Arabia Sharjah International
AirAsia Kuala Lumpur International
Air India Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Trivandrum Domestic
Air India Delhi, Jeddah, Mumbai, Sharjah International
Air India Express Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Calicut, Doha, Dubai, Kuwait, Mangalore, Mumbai, Muscat, Salalah, Sharjah, Trivandrum International
Air India Regional Agatti Domestic
Emirates Dubai International
Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi International
GoAir Delhi, Mumbai Domestic
Gulf Air Bahrain International
IndiGo Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, Pune, Trivandrum Domestic
IndiGo Dubai International
Jet Airways Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune, Vishakhapatnam Domestic
Jet Airways Doha, Muscat, Sharjah,Abudhabi-Kuwait International
JetKonnect Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad Domestic
Kuwait Airways Kuwait International
Oman Air Muscat International
Qatar Airways Doha International
Saudia Dammam, Jeddah, Riyadh International
Singapore Airlines Singapore International
SilkAir Singapore International
SpiceJet Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Pune Domestic
SpiceJet Dubai, Malé International
SriLankan Airlines Colombo International
Tiger Airways Singapore International

Cargo airlines

Airlines Destinations
Blue Dart Aviation Ahmadabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai
Emirates SkyCargo Dubai
Etihad Crystal Cargo Abu Dhabi
Qatar Airways Cargo Doha
Saudia Cargo Jeddah, Riyadh

Passenger Services

It has been suggested that Cochin Duty Free be merged into this article. (Discuss) Proposed since July 2011.
Shopping
Main article: Cochin Duty Free
Logo of Cochin Duty Free

In pursuit of earning more non-aeronautical revenue, CIAL has set up shopping facilities. The Cochin duty-free shop in the international terminal is the first full-scale duty free shop in India, and one of the largest managed by Alpha Kreol, a joint venture between Alpha UK and Kreol Middle East. The arrivals hall has a large duty-free shopping area of 13,000 sq ft (1,200 m2) spread over two floors. The departure block duty-free area is under construction, though a last-minute shopping counter of 2,000 sq ft (190 m2) allows passengers to buy selected products. A book shop and ethnic Indian Khādī products promoted by KVIC Kerala, selling traditional Kerala souvenirs and Khadi clothes.[44]

An expanded 10,000 sq ft (930 m2) departure terminal duty-free area is under construction, with a 2,000 sq ft (190 m2) food-court and a wellness spa,[45] expected to open by mid of 2012.

Food and beverages

The International Departures Terminal has a fine dining terrace garden lounge along with a bar facility, known as Firefly,[46] located on third floor. A 5 counter food court called Kochi STReat has been opened in Central Block near International Departures City side. A concourse food zone in departure security hold will be opened soon.[47] A second multi-cuisine fine dining restaurant will be opened on the second floor as part of the premium lounge facility. There are also several small cafes and sandwich counters operating in both the domestic and international terminals.

The Domestic departures terminal have a fine dining restaurant and lounge bar in the pre-check in area, operated by CGH. In addition a large cafe and a mini food court service is available in the waiting lounge of the domestic terminal.

An Airport restaurant near the car park and food kiosks near the main block caters to greeters and visitors.

Lounges

The International terminal has 3 Lounges in Departures section. A VIP Lounge exclusively for VIPS and CIPs operated by Oberoi Hotels, is located near Emigration Area in Ground floor. CGH operates two lounges in the international terminal. The Earth Lounge is one of the biggest in India, with 6000 sqft of facility with dedicated bar, restaurant, private seating facility with panoramic view access to airside and shower-facility. The Executive Lounge also operated by CGH offers light refreshments and private seating to certain airlines and paid guests of any class. In addition, First class and Business class passengers can use Firefly Terrace garden as free lounge access.

Oberoi also operate an arrival lounge after Immigration in arrivals side.

Hospitality

Six airport hotels exist within 200 m from the terminal complex of the airport, including a luxury resort, apart from several hotel apartments. CIAL is planning to award contracts for a hotel resort and international convention center facility near the airport golf club, for which tenders have been issued.[48]

Fixed Base Operators

Ground handling

Ground-handling is controlled by 2 companies, namely Air India Transport Services, Bird Worldwide Flight Services-BWFS.

The terminal handling is done by Bird Worldwide Flight Services-BWFS along with Airawat Aviation Services.

Fuel supply

Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) has provided fully fledged state-of-the-art aircraft refueling facilities. A 1400 m long pipeline from the fuel depot to the last aircraft parking bay ensures direct fuel connectivity. Each aircraft parking bay will have two hydrant pit boxes, pit valves, and emergency isolation valves to international API/IP[clarification needed] standards. A modern fully automated tank-farm is also commissioned within the airport area.

A project to lay underground pipelines to transport aviation turbine fuel (ATF) directly from the BPCL Kochi refinery is under construction. These pipelines will stretch about 33 km, from the refinery to the aircraft turbine fuel station. This would mean there will be no need to depend on trucks for transport. The avoidance of fuel tankers on the roads provides a promising step in decongestion of the city roads. The project is estimated to cost INR40 crore (US$7.3 million) and is expected to be operational from April 2011.

BPCL also provides refueling for all airport vehicles, as well as passenger vehicles, through its main petrol station outside the terminal.

Flight kitchen and caterers

Cochin airport has issued operating permits to Casino Air Caterers & Flight Services (CAFS), to provide in-flight catering services to all airlines operating from Cochin. In addition, Lulu Flight Kitchen is scheduled to start their services by July 2012.

Maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO)

Cochin airport, through its subsidiary Cochin International Aviation Services Limited (CIASL), has commissioned a 135,000 sq ft (12,500 m2) maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility on 32 acres (130,000 m2), at an initial cost of INR80 crore (US$15 million). The first phase includes hangars for two narrow-body aircraft, with facilities for a line maintenance run-up bay, workshops, aircraft parking and a taxiway link. The second phase proposes an additional two narrow-body hangars and two wide-body hangars, more parking bays and workshops. CIASL is in in the final stages of negotiations with Romania-based Aerostar for sophisticated technology tie-up for its world-class aircraft maintenance and repair facility. The MoU with the Romanian company is expected to be signed soon.[49] With this project, CIASL proposes to attract large-scale investments from leading OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) and hopes to reach out to cargo operators and business jets, especially from the growing markets of India, West Asia and South-East Asia.[50]

Security

Cochin International Airport is listed among the 12 major airports of India and the safety and security of the airport is handled by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security through the Central Industrial Security Force#Airport security (CISF). Cochin airport was the third international airport, and the first private airport, in the country to come under the cover of CISF in 2001,[citation needed] after the Central Government decided to hand over airport security to CISF in the wake of the hijacking of Indian Airlines IC-814. Security was handled by the Special Branch of Kochi Police prior to the CISF. The airport company's Aviation Safety Wing (ASW) oversees security facilities and equipment. The ASW is also responsible for the fire and emergency services.

CIAL is the only airport in the country with internally trained private security agents, specializing in intelligence gathering and passenger profiling. Security management training is provided by CIAL's Aviation Academy and personnel are employed by the company as security agents; deployed in baggage screening rooms, entry gates, the general cargo area, and the lounge areas. CIAL ASW also employs Army-trained sniffer dogs to check for explosives in baggage areas, the only Indian airport to have such a facility.[51] CIAL has also introduced 3 state-of-the-art ION scanning detectors that can identify small amounts of material, down to nanograms of explosives.[52] The external security in parking areas, visitors lounges, cafes and other non-sensitive areas outside the terminal are handled by a private security company.

The airport is under the direct protection of the Kochi City Police, who have a police station outside the terminal. CISF maintains 2 armed squadrons and one Bomb Detection & Disposal Squad[where?]. CISF also has a command center located 250 metres outside the terminal, with an intelligence division and mobilization cell. The Air Customs division also operates a narcotics detection squad in the terminal. The CIAL ASWs are working on installing a fully automated perimeter intrusion detection system that will detect any possible intrusion on the perimeter of the airport, using sensors that will provide critical time for the security forces to react. Phase one of the intrusion prevention system is in place with barricades, automatic retractable bollards, surveillance cameras, parking gate management systems and the introduction of biometric ID cards for staff.[53] The immigration department is handled by Special Branch officials trained by the Bureau of Immigration.[54]

Education and training

Since 2008, CIASL has been the first airport to venture into providing higher education in aviation management and technical areas in order to overcome the shortage of skilled manpower in the aviation industry.[55] CIASL has teamed up with the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) to start two schools in aviation education:

  • CIAL Aviation Academy provides 2 year management degrees in aviation and airport management, operations, economics, finance and human resources, along with short-term aviation oriented vocational diplomas. The academy also trains technical manpower required for airport operations. Air India Express currently has its temporary Stewards Grooming and training center in the facility.[56][57]

Ground transportation

The airport is located between National Highway 47 (NH 47), one of the main highways of South India, and the Main Central Road (MC Road), one of the State Highways of Kerala. An expressway is planned from NH 49 to the MC Road to facilitate faster transport.[58] Though the main railway line is only about 500 meters from the airport, the nearest railway station is Angamaly at about 8 km from the airport. However, an airport railway station, has been approved by Indian Railways and will be situated 300 meters away from the terminal.[59]

Air-taxi services

Cochin airport has dedicated air-taxi services for passengers to travel to major pilgrim destinations in Kerala as well as to cities like Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode.[citation needed] The airport, in association with Bharat Airways, provides scheduled air-taxi services to Sabarimala.[60]

Buses

Buses are the primary means to connect the airport with major parts of the city. Services are mainly operated by the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation which operates two class[clarification needed] of bus services. The nearest bus-stations are Angamaly Bus Depot and Aluva Rajiv Gandhi Municipal Bus Station from where local, long distance and inter-state buses operate.

The following is a list of bus services to and from the airport:

Service Destination[61] Frequency
KSRTC Orange Bus
601, 603 Fort Kochi via City Center 45 Minutes interval
602, 604 Aluva Interchange
Fast Passenger- Non AC
North Line Angamaly Bus Depot Interchange 5 Minutes interval
South Line Cherthala via Aluva, Vyttila 20 Minutes interval
East Line Vaikom via Vyttila, Thrippunithura 45 minutes interval

Taxis

Cochin airport manages a fleet of its own cabs, operating as the Cochin Airport Taxi Society (CATS), providing prepaid and regular cab facilities. CATS taxis can be booked at prepaid counters in the arrivals sections of both the international and domestic terminals.

CIAL Aerotropolis

Question book-new.svg
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One of the future projects for the airport is the CIAL Aerotropolis, or Airport City, with a total area of 500 acres (2.0 km2).[62][63] The aerotropolis was proposed by its founder, V J Kurien, to ensure additional revenue sources for the growth of the company and to increase airport traffic through tourism and allied activities. The proposed Aerotropolis will be located in Nedumbassery and nearby villages, aiming to convert into a self-sustainable town, with the airport forming the core element along with a residential zone. Work on the aerotropolis commenced in 2007.

Manufacturing and business zone

The master plan envisages the creation of a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) for aircraft-allied industries, especially spare parts and OEM manufacturing units, an airline research and development center, workshops, and service zones. In addition to this an Information Technology Park, with dedicated airline support technology, design and development centers is also proposed. An integrated logistics center and central container freight station are planned at the cargo village.[64]

CIAL's proposal for establishing the SEZ was approved by the Board of Approval of SEZs in 2008; however, work is yet to start due to the global recession. The project is estimated to begin by August 2011.

Airside development

Phase one of the airside zone has completed with commissioning of the MRO facilities.

Incidents and accidents

  • On 25 April 2010, Emirates Flight EK 530, a Boeing 777–200 from Dubai, dropped around 200 feet (61 m) during heavy turbulence as the aircraft entered a thick cumulonimbus cloud while on its descent. 20 passengers were injured and some internal damage was caused to the plane. The aircraft was on descent into Kochi, roughly between Mumbai and Chennai air spaces when the incident occurred. There were 350 passengers and 14 crew on board.[65]
  • On 25 August 2011, a 13 year old boy was found roaming around the runway area, raising questions about the security system of the airport.[66]
  • On 29 August 2011, Gulf Air Flight GF 270, an Airbus 320 from Bahrain, carrying 137 passengers skidded off the runway at 3.55 am during its descent. The reason for the crash is suspected to be the heavy rain at the time of the incident. The aircraft had been said to have slipped off the runway and landed nose first. The aircraft broke one of its wings while landing and stalled air traffic for hours. Passengers after the crash, in chaos, were reported to have jumped from the aircraft through emergency exit doors even before stairways were brought into place. The crash caused seven minor injuries and two serious injuries due to the chaos that followed.[67]

References

  1. ^ http://www.aai.aero/traffic_news/mar2k12annex3.pdf
  2. ^ a b http://www.aai.aero/traffic_news/mar2k12annex2.pdf
  3. ^ http://www.aai.aero/traffic_news/mar2k12annex4.pdf
  4. ^ "Ernakulam, Kerala, India to Cochin International Airport - Google Maps". Maps.google.com. 1970-01-01. Retrieved 2012-02-10. 
  5. ^ AAI traffic figures as on April 2012
  6. ^ "Kochi airport is the first aviation venture owned by the public". rediff.com. 1999-12-06. Archived from the original on 2010-12-14. Retrieved 2007-11-11. 
  7. ^ the Royal Navy chose it as a strategic site not only for their headquarters in Southern India, but also as an air station cum landing craft and sea plane base. http://mod.nic.in/samachar/dec15-02/html/ch13.htm
  8. ^ The origin of INS Venduruthy can be traced to August 31, 1939, when a small naval contingent was positioned in Kochi under Royal Indian Navy Captain L. Wadeson, who assumed the duties of Naval Officer-in-Charge, Cochin. http://www.hindu.com/2010/07/02/stories/2010070250590200.htm
  9. ^ A small naval unit set up just two days prior to the outbreak of World War II. http://www.hindu.com/2006/06/24/stories/2006062421530300.htm
  10. ^ The Official Website of Cochin International Airport
  11. ^ "CIAL – A NOVEL VENTURE IN INDIAN CIVIL AVIATION". Government of India, Press Information Bureau. Retrieved 2011-01-12. 
  12. ^ "GOVERNANCE ISSUES IN AIRPORT DEVELOPMENT: LEARNINGS FROM COCHIN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT LTD". IIM Ahmedabad. Retrieved 2011-01-12. 
  13. ^ "A Brief History". CIAL. Retrieved 2011-01-12. 
  14. ^ "Exclusive terminal for International arrivals". 2010-12-14. 
  15. ^ Travel & Tourism Newsletter, hotels, airlines, destination – January 2007 "Phase 3 expansion". 2010-12-14. 
  16. ^ "New international departure terminal to be opened soon". The Hindu (Chennai, India). 22 October 2008. Archived from the original on 2010-12-14. 
  17. ^ "Flights to Kochi airport to be rescheduled". The Hindu (Chennai, India). 18 March 2008. Archived from the original on 2010-12-14. 
  18. ^ "Rs.100 crore for airport expansion". The Hindu (Chennai, India). 30 January 2009. Archived from the original on 2010-12-14. 
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  26. ^ a b Cochin airport to go for initial public offering | Deccan Chronicle
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  30. ^ New baggage screening at Cochin airport eases hassles "Baggage systems at Cohin airport". 2010-12-14. 
  31. ^ Cochin Airport Installs Baggage Screening System | AVIATION WEEK
  32. ^ "Airport at Kannur to take wings". The Times Of India. 17 September 2011. 
  33. ^ a b Cargo facilities at Cochin Airport
  34. ^ Cochin Airport to have largest perishable cargo center in India
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  44. ^ "Shopping at duty free outlets". 2010-12-14. 
  45. ^ Now, have facial at CIAL! | The Asian Age
  46. ^ COK Hosts a New ‘Fire Fly’ Lounge Bar | Kochivibes | Kochi Cochin News Events Party Alerts & Everything Else
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  67. ^ Gulf Air skids off runway at Kochi Airport NDTV, 29 August 2011

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Coordinates: 10°09′18″N 76°23′28″E / 10.155°N 76.391°E / 10.155; 76.391

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