South India’s new airport to help Gulf travelers, boost local tourism potential
The Kannur International Airport in Kerala is set to be a boon for over eight million Indian expatriates living and working in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, a large number of whom belong to the South Indian state.
For expatriates living in and around Kannur, this will has the potential to emerge as another hub in the Malabar region after Calicut. The airport is set for commercial flight operations in September.
With 13 percent of Kannur-Thalassery population employed abroad, the airport located 20 kilometers from Kannur city and in the vicinity of Kannur-Mattannur-Mysuru highway, is expected to facilitate easy travel plans for the locals and nearby places.
Understandably, travelers from the region are excited about the opening. Fazlu Rahman Kaidal, Sales Manager with IME-RS Components, Muscat said: “The opening of an international airport at Kannur will reduce our local travel time. Now we will reach our home within 45 minutes after coming out of the airport. Otherwise, we had to travel all the way from Calicut to reach our home.”
Sameer Ahmed from Kasargod, who owns textiles business in Dubai, says earlier they had to fly to Mangalore airport (in Karnataka) and then hire a cab to Kasargod. “With the opening of Kannur airport, which is located in Kerala just like Kasargod, it will be of great convenience for us,” he says.
Benefit for tourism
Tourism in the area is also likely to reap its dividend as top destinations like Mysuru and Coorg are within easy reach from Kannur.
The airport will serve as a new gateway for tourism development since Kodagu (Coorg) is closer to Kannur and thus enhance connectivity between the two, boosting tourism.
It is highly likely that tourists wishing to visit Mysuru and Coorg may now opt to travel via Kannur airport – instead of Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport – and the itinerary will alter once the airport becomes operational.
People flying to Kannur can skip traffic to reach their destinations such as Madikeri or Mysuru, unlike from Bengaluru.
Profitable hub
K.S. Shibu Kumar, Chief Project Engineer-in-Charge of Kannur International Airport Ltd (KIAL) said that the airport will be able to handle more than 20 landings a day.
Spread over an area of over 2,100 acres and equipped with modern facilities, around six aero bridges, 48 check-in counters and integrated terminal building of 1 million square feet, the airport will be a boon for travelers in this region.
According to him, it is projected to spawn a profitable hub of domestic commercial and residential development, in addition to travel and hotel and allied services generating employment opportunities. The terminal building will have the capacity to handle 2,000 domestic and international flyers during the peak hour.
“Apart from domestic, international connectivity is being offered by Air India Express to eight destinations including Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Kuwait, Muscat, Doha and Dubai. GoAir is connecting to Dammam (Saudi Arabia), and Jet Airways to Abu Dhabi,” Shibu Kumar said.
“We have also approached MOCA to explore possibilities of opening a bilateral policy to bring in foreign carriers who have keen interest to fly to Dubai,” said Kumar.
Solar-powered
The airport will be able to handle 1.8 million passengers annually and about 80 percent of airport traffic will be international and 20 percent domestic. Kerala’s second greenfield airport, its fourth with the “international” tag, the airport will be soon fully solar-powered and LEED certified.
Nearby airports includes the Calicut and Mangalore international airports. At present, the Mangalore airport handles about 50 aircraft a day – 25 arrivals and 25 departures while the Calicut airport, which has emerged as the seventh top international airport in the country, now operates 60 international movements (arrivals and departures) and eight domestic flights daily.
Taking environment concerns into account the Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSBB) has instructed the authorities to earmark their corporate social responsibility funds for sustaining the ecosystem in the area.
Media reports last week said that the airport decided to opt out of the bandwagon of regional flights under the Union government’s Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik (ordinary citizens of the country fly or UDAN) scheme.
Domestic travel
As the focus remains on international travelers, KIAL, the operator of the airport, will not get any revenue from the domestic flights operated under the UDAN scheme as it cannot impose landing and parking, and terminal navigation landing charges on the airline in addition to discounts on route navigation facility.
UDAN is a Government of India endeavor to make air travel to India’s tier II and tier III cities affordable to the common man. The idea is to put smaller cities and remote regions on the aviation map, by getting domestic airlines to ply more regional routes.
Built as a Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiative on Build-Own-Operate (BOO) basis, principle approval to set up the Kannur airport was sanctioned in 2008 by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MOCA).
In 2010, Government of Kerala formed a company by the name Kannur International Airport Limited and all clearances were received from the federal government by 2013. The construction began in 2014 and is now ready for commissioning.
Courtesy: english.alarabiya.net
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Russian President Putin says India, Russia collaboration not directed against anyone
New Delhi (PTI): The India-Russia collaboration is not directed against any country and it is solely aimed at safeguarding the national interests of the two sides, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said against the backdrop of Washington's aggressive approach towards New Delhi and Moscow.
In the context of India's energy ties with Russia, Putin said certain "actors" dislike New Delhi's growing role in international markets in view of its close relations with Moscow and these elements are aiming to constrain India's influence for political reasons by imposing "artificial obstacles".
In an interview to India Today news channel that was released on Thursday evening, the Russian president, referring to Western sanctions against Moscow, said his country's energy cooperation with New Delhi largely "remains unaffected".
Putin landed in New Delhi this evening on a two-day visit to hold summit talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
ALSO READ: PM Modi presents copy of Gita in Russian to Putin
His trip comes at a time India-US relations are going through possibly the worst phase in the last two decades after Washington imposed a whopping 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods, including 25 per cent levies for New Delhi's procurement of Russian crude oil.
"Neither me nor Prime Minister Modi, despite certain external pressure we face, have never approached our collaboration to work against someone," the Russian president said in response to a question on Washington's aggressive approach.
"President Trump has his own agenda, his own goals, whereas we focus on ours -- not against anyone, but rather aimed at safeguarding our respective interests, India's and Russia's interests," he said.
Rejecting Washington's objection to India procuring crude oil from Russia, Putin said if the US has the right to buy Russian fuel, why "shouldn't India have the same privilege".
"As for India's purchase of energy resources from Russia, I would like to note and have already mentioned this once, the US itself still buys nuclear fuel from us for its own nuclear power plants," Putin said.
The Russian president also responded to a question on India lowering procurement of crude oil from Russia in view of Western sanctions on Moscow.
ALSO READ: Russian president Putin arrives in Delhi on 2-day visit
"Well, there is a certain decline in overall trade turnover during the first nine months of this year. This is just a minor adjustment. Overall, our trade turnover stands almost at the same level as before," he said.
"I can't give you exact monthly figures right now, but trade in petroleum products and crude oil, as well as the production of petroleum products for consumers of oil, Russian oil, is running smoothly in India," he said.
Putin also said that India cannot be treated the way it was several decades back.
"Prime Minister Modi is not someone who succumbs to pressure easily. The Indian people can certainly take pride in their leader. This is absolutely obvious," he said.
"His stance is unwavering and straightforward, without being confrontational. Our goal is not to provoke conflict; rather, we aim to protect our lawful rights. India does the same," he said.
On the Ukraine conflict, Putin said he believed the US is actively seeking a solution to this problem. "I am absolutely certain, with no doubt at all, he (Trump) sincerely aims for a peaceful resolution."
Putin said Trump genuinely wants to end the hostilities and prevent further loss of lives. "But there could also be political interests tied to ending the confrontation between Russia and Ukraine, or economic motives too."
On bilateral trade, Putin said over 90 per cent of "our transactions are already conducted in national currencies".
"While some complications arise due to the presence of numerous intermediaries, there are also solutions," he said.
The Russian president also complimented PM Modi's leadership.
"Our collaborative endeavours with Prime Minister Modi carry significant weight because they transcend our mutual ties," he said.
"Given its direct relevance to both nations, ensuring stability in key areas of engagement is crucial, as it helps secure the fulfilment of our objectives. Prime Minister Modi sets very challenging tasks for the country --and for himself in the first place, then for the administration, and eventually for the nation," he said.
The Russian president did not give a direct reply to a question on if India was looking at procuring additional batches of S-400 missile systems.
"India stands out as one of our reliable and privileged partners in this area. We are not merely selling something to India and India isn't merely buying something from us in the sphere of defence and security.
"It is a different level, a different quality of relations we have with India, and we value this. We see how India values this relationship too," he said.
Putin said Russia is not simply selling defence technology to India but it is sharing it with the country.
"It is a very rare thing to see in the sphere of military-technical cooperation. It speaks to the level of trust between the two countries and the level of trust between the two peoples.
"We have a broad portfolio indeed, including naval construction, rocket and missile engineering, and aircraft engineering," he added.
