Special Officer for Kannur Airport Project
Former Air India Chairman V. Thulasidas would be appointed as special officer for the Kannur airport project. IAS officer Kuruvila John would be posted as Principal Secretary (Higher Education) and V. Geetha as Director of Medial Education.
December 14th, 2008 at 8:49 pm
Prospects bleak for Karipur
By Our Staff Reporter
KASARAGOD, OCT. 25. The Rs.80-crore development project of the Bajpe airport in Mangalore is likely to have an adverse impact on the prospects of the Karipur airport in Kozhikode.
With a 8,000-odd ft second runway in place, bigger planes, including airbuses, will be able to operate from Mangalore. The expansion project also envisages the setting up of two more hangars, a darkroom, a cargo terminal and an airport hijacking control room. International flights are likely to be operated from there once the work is completed in a year.
Mangalore SEZ
The cargo terminal is being established in anticipation of an increase in cargo traffic following the Karnataka Government’s plan to have a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) for Mangalore. The SEZ will involve an investment of over Rs.23,000 crores.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has acquired more land and placed a request for more land with the Karnataka Government to enable the construction of a new and larger terminal.
With the opening of the new international terminal, the distance between Mangalore city and the airport will be reduced by a few kilometres.
Gulf expatriates
The expansion of the Bajpe airport is no good news for the Karipur airport as a large number of people from this part of the State may choose the Bajpe airport for their journey to the Gulf.
It is said that at least one person, if not more, in each family in Kasaragod district works in the Gulf. It is estimated that there are about four lakh people from the district working in the Gulf countries.
Against a distance (by road) of 220 km from Kasaragod town to Karipur, the distance between Kasaragod town and the Bajpe airport will be about 70 km only.
Kannur airport
While the development of the Bajpe airport will have a definite impact on the passenger traffic at Karipur, it will invariably put a question mark over the proposed airport in Kannur. It will be a matter of serious deliberation as to whom the Kannur airport will cater to, given the fact that there will be two major airports on the south and north of Kannur town, situated at a distance of 120 km and 150 km respectively.
There has been a growing demand from the political parties and people in Kannur district to have an airport in the district ever since the upgradation of the Karipur airport some years ago.
Like Kasaragod, a large number of people from Kannur work in the Gulf countries.
April 22nd, 2009 at 7:47 am
Dear sir/madam
Kannur International Airport That’s my One of life dream Doing fast and best, in the side of goverment and responsible persons. Now i heard Our honourable Dist.Collector Arora ordered Acquiring land for airport doing fast this news heard i got more exceptation about Kannur Airport.
Wish u all the best, I’m waiting to flying My Dream Land “Kannur”
Thank you,
kind rgds