Cochin International Airport
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| Cochin International Airport Nedumbassery Airport കൊച്ചി അന്താരാഷ്ട്ര വിമാനത്താവളം |
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| IATA: COK – ICAO: VOCI | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Operator | Cochin International Airport Ltd. | ||
| Location | Kochi (Cochin), India | ||
| Hub for | |||
| Elevation AMSL | 30 ft / 9 m | ||
| Coordinates | 10°09′20″N 76°23′29″E / 10.15556°N 76.39139°ECoordinates: 10°09′20″N 76°23′29″E / 10.15556°N 76.39139°E | ||
| Website | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 09/27 | 11,155 | 3,400 | Asphalt |
Cochin International Airport (IATA: COK, ICAO: VOCI), also known as Nedumbassery Airport, is located at Nedumbassery, near Kochi (formerly known as Cochin), Kerala in India. Airport is the primary base for Air India Express operations. It is the fourth busiest airport in India in terms of international traffic & is the busiest airport in Kerala in terms of domestic and international traffic[1]
The airport is the first international airport in India incorporated as a public limited company and it received investments from nearly 10,000 Non Resident Indians from 30 countries.[2]
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[edit] Description
Built in the traditional architectural style of Kerala, the airport is owned by Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL), a public company, initially held by a large number of Non-resident Indians investors, (Indian citizens who live outside India), major Indian corporations and a 13% holding by the government of Kerala. This is the first international airport in India to be built with only a minority (13%) Central Government stake in a public-private partnership (PPP) project. The total governmental stake (central & state), is thus 26%. The Chief Minister of Kerala, currently V. S. Achuthanandan is ex officio chairman of CIAL.
Cochin Airport is located about 30 km (19 mi) from the central city area of Kochi, and amenities such as pre-paid taxis are readily available. Its location near tourist areas and the availability of undeveloped land near the location provides opportunity for growth in the region. This has helped to make it the busiest airport in Kerala.[1]
With a 3,400 m (11,000 ft) long runway, the airport is equipped to operate any type of aircraft currently in commercial service. At present, it is the fourth busiest Indian airport in international traffic. It handled a total of 2.5 million domestic and international passengers in 2006-2007. There are 464 services in the domestic sector and 314 services in the international sector in Kochi per week[3] It has a full length parallel taxiway of 3,400 m (11,000 ft). The runways are spread over the panchayats, or local administration areas, of Nedumbasserry, Sreemoolanagaram and Kanjoor.
Currently, the largest aircraft flying into Kochi airport is the Boeing 777-200, a daily flight from Dubai by Emirates Airline and Saudi Arabian Airlines operating to Riyadh once a week.[4] Construction of a new international terminal area with duty-free shops has been completed recently.[5]
The total cost of the airport project was 3.15 billion rupees (about US$68.5 million). The airport has a domestic terminal and an international terminal. The ground control is handled by Air India & WFS and the fuel supply to the airport is by the Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. Both hold interest-free security deposits in CIAL.
The airport company holds 440 acres (1.8 km2) of prime land at its disposal for commercial deployment. A 35-billion-rupee master plan (involving construction of an 18-hole golf course, business centre, hotel chains, malls, industrial and IT parks and logistics centre) has been developed by CIAL to generate revenues. Airport fees for international passengers have been waived and customs processing time is relatively quick. Supplemental revenue is generated from leasing advertisement space within the terminals. The location has been commended for its style and clean image.
In addition to flights connecting it with most major cities in India, Cochin International Airport has direct flights to several destinations in the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
[edit] History
- October, 1991 - State government decides to pursue the new airport project instead of expansion of the existing naval airport.
- March, 1993 - Ministry of Civil Aviation approves project.
- May 25, 1999 - Formal inauguration by K. R. Narayanan, then President of India.
- June 1, 1999 - Domestic operations moved from naval airport at Willingdon Island.
- June 10, 1999 - Inaugural flight by Air India.
- June 21, 1999 - First Boeing 747 lands.
[edit] Airlines and destinations
[edit] Domestic
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| Air India | Hyderabad, Kozhikode, Thiruvananthapuram |
| Air-India Express | Kozhikode, Mumbai, Thiruvananthapuram |
| GoAir | Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai |
| Indian Airlines | Agatti, Bangalore, Chennai, Coimbatore, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Thiruvananthapuram |
| IndiGo | Ahmedabad, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai |
| Jet Airways | Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai |
| JetLite | Delhi, Hyderabad |
| Kingfisher Airlines | Agatti, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad, Kozhikode, Mangalore, Mumbai, Thiruvananthapuram |
| Paramount Airways | Chennai |
| SpiceJet | Delhi, Mumbai |
[edit] International
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| AirAsia | Kuala Lumpur |
| Air Arabia | Sharjah |
| Air India | Jeddah, Riyadh |
| Air-India Express | Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai, Kuwait, Muscat, Salalah, Sharjah |
| Bahrain Air | Bahrain |
| Emirates | Dubai |
| Etihad Airways | Abu Dhabi |
| Gulf Air | Bahrain |
| Indian Airlines | Dammam, Sharjah |
| Jet Airways | Bahrain, Doha, Kuwait, Muscat, Sharjah |
| Kuwait Airways | Kuwait |
| Oman Air | Muscat |
| Qatar Airways | Doha |
| Saudi Arabian Airlines | Dammam, Jeddah, Riyadh |
| SilkAir | Singapore |
[edit] Issues
Soon after the state government announced the approval of the project, there were allegations of land grabbing in the vicinity of the proposed site by political parties and people with ties to political leaders. The construction was delayed by a few months in completion. Migrant construction workers mostly from West Bengal and Bihar, employed by the sub-contracting companies were harassed by local labour unionists for taking jobs. After operations started, CIAL struggled to make a profit and investors held a number of demonstrations against the management in the first two years. There have been numerous allegations of harassment by Customs and immigration officers in the airport. Occasionally, unsuspecting passengers have been required to hand over foreign currency as bribes and subjected to intrusive questioning.
The distance of the airport from Kochi city was considered too large (compared to the old airport) to have any significant impact in encouraging local population to adopt flying as a regular travel means, especially with few direct public transportation facilities to the airport, initially. Instead, it was seen as benefiting mostly expatriates. The State government committed to obtaining funding from the Centre for expansion of the National Highway accessing the airport, but with persistent delays. The airport was designed to handle large number of flight operations, and even operate as a hub in the future, but has been operating at below 50% capacity. Consequently, a large amount of usable floor space is vacant within the passenger terminals. While a great deal of attention was paid to the traditionalism of the architecture, the airport is often criticized for its lack of proper outside waiting areas, public viewing area, seating, a good flight information display system, high parking fees, high visitor entry fees, few approach roads and lack of amenities nearby.
[edit] Satellite image
[edit] References
- ^ a b Traffic statistics
- ^ "The three airports in Kerala can be in business without affecting each other". Rediff. 1999-12-06. http://www.rediff.com/business/1999/dec/06inter.htm. Retrieved 2007-11-11.
- ^ The IT hubs of Kerala
- ^ http://www.saudiairlines.com/saudiairlines/static_files/update-21-4-2009(timetable)/Sum%20I%202009%20Eng%20Arb.pdf
- ^ Cochin Duty Free
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Cochin International Airport |
- Cochin International Airport at Airports Authority of India web site
- Cochin Airport Official Website
- Airport data:
- Airport information for VOCI at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.
- FallingRain.com: Airport COCHIN INTL (VOCI)
- A-Z World Airport Data
- Accident history for COK at Aviation Safety Network
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