The Kannur International airport coming up at Mattanur in the northern part of the state would be ready for operation in September 2018, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said. Addressing the 8th general body meeting of the Kannur International Airport, Vijayan said that good progress has been made in the work of the airport – the fourth airport in the state.
International and domestic airline firms have expressed interest to operate from the airport, he said. The civil aviation ministry has accorded permission for Jet Airways to conduct a service to Abu Dhabi and GoAir to Dammam, he said.
It has also decided to expand the length of runway to 4,000 metres from 3,050 metres and steps for acquiring land for the same are progressing, the chief minister said. The work of the runway and integrated terminal would be completed by January next year. It was planned to complete the passenger boarding terminal by March 2018, he said.
Vijayan said co-operative societies can take shares in the airport company. The INR 1,892-crore airport is being built over 2,000 acres of land.
