If completed on time, Kannur international airport, which is slated for commercial operations in June next year, would be able to accommodate flights that are diverted due to the partial shutdown of the Kozhikode airport.

The Kozhikode airport, which requires strengthening and re-carpeting of its runway, will be partially shutdown soon for nearly a year-and-a-half. For the first eight months, the airport will not be able to receive wide-bodied aircraft used by international airlines and, for the next few months, such aircraft can land only for a few hours a day.

This will cripple the operations of international flights and cause serious trouble to lakhs of North Kerala people employed in the Gulf, though some of the flights will be diverted to Kochi airport. There have been protests by NRI associations and political parties in Malabar against the long, partial shutdown. About 90 per cent of Kozhikode traffic is international.

However, there is also a move to postpone the repairs by a couple of months till the monsoon season passes. If the postponement happens and the operation of Kannur airport begins on time, sources say most international flights could be diverted to Kannur from Kozhikode.

“Kannur airport is designed to receive wide-bodied aircraft and there would be no problem for large aircraft coming from the Gulf sector to land there,” an airport official told BusinessLine.

However, the big question is will the airport be ready on time and keep its timeline? The long monsoon will seriously impair work. Already, the frequent hartals, strikes, and protests have taken a toll on the work.

The Rs 1,900-crore Kannur airport, which will be the fourth international airport in Kerala, is coming up on nearly 2,000 acres of land at Mattannur, 25 km from Kannur town. On the PPP (private-public partnership) mode, the airport is being funded by Central and State public-sector undertakings — such as the Airport Authority of India and Bharat Petroleum — and by banks including Canara Bank and Federal Bank, as well as equity participation by NRIs.

The airport, which will cater to northern Kerala and southern Karnataka, is scheduled for trial landing by the end of this year or early next year. If Kannur is able to handle international flights diverted from Kozhikode, it will be a great launching pad for the newest airport.

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