Kochi officially declared operational hub of Air Kerala

Kerala’s first airline Air Kerala officially declared the Kochi International Airport as the hub of its operations. The no-frills airline expects to begin operations with its first flight from Kochi by early June, said Harish Moideen Kutty, Chief Operating Officer of the airline here on Wednesday. Air Kerala will begin with connectivity to Tier II and III cities in South and Central India before venturing into the international sector by 2027 when it expects to reach the target of 20 airplanes to enter the international sector,  Mr. Moindeen Kutty told reporters after Minister of Industries P. Rajeeve declared Kochi the operational base of Air Kerala.

The airline now has two airplanes. The airline company has now dry leased the aircraft and hopes to consider buying its own aircraft in the future, Mr. Moideen Kutty added.

The concept of an airline to cater basically to expatriate Malayalis has been long in the making. It was initially conceived as a government venture with private partnership after the model of the Cochin International Airport, India’s first such venture in the PPP mode. But the airline company model evolved over the past decade, prompting Keralites businessmen to launch the present venture that has affordability at the centre of the model of operations. 

Cochin International Airport Limited crossed a milestone during 2023-24, handling over one crore passengers. The numbers represent an 18% increase compared to the previous year. CIAL managed 63.50% of the total air passenger traffic in Kerala during 2023-24. Domestic travel accounted for 55.99 lakh passengers while international travel saw 49.31 lakh passengers.

India’s domestic passenger traffic growth has been 16% year on year and Air Kerala expects to tap into this untapped area of business. The Cochin International Airport and Government of Kerala have promised all support to the new airline operations.

Published - January 15, 2025 08:48 pm IST