Cochin International Airport’s Business Jet Terminal, proudly announces the completion of one thousand flight services, marking a significant milestone in its operations.
In just 14 months since its inception, the Cochin International Airport Ltd’s Business Jet Terminal (General Aviation Terminal catering to exclusive chartered
flight operations) has achieved the remarkable feat of facilitating 1000 business jet operations, reaffirming its position as a premier destination for corporate
travelers from India and abroad to Kochi. Spanning over 40,000 square feet, the biggest of its kind in the country, the business jet terminal located at Terminal 2
stands as the architype of modernity and luxury in the country. Under the tagline ‘Fly Elegantly’ facilitating a commuter transfer from Aircraft Door to Car
Door in 2 Minutes, the terminal has quickly gained popularity among corporate clients nationwide. Additionally, the terminal boasts separate customs and
immigration counters along with a boutique duty-free shop catering to international passengers. During the G20 meeting held at Lakshadweep in April 2023, the terminal
witnessed the arrival of a dozen-chartered planes from various countries. Another significant operation handled by the terminal was in September 2023 when it facilitated a Boeing 737 aircraft with 58 passengers from different parts of the globe, disembarking at the CIAL Business Jet Terminal on that eventual day. In the year 2024 alone, the CIAL Business Jet Terminal has handled an impressive 120 services within just two months, and the numbers are projected to exceed 1200 by the end of this year. "We are happy to celebrate this significant milestone of completing 1000 flight services at the Jet Terminal," said S.Suhas IAS, Managing Director, CIAL. "This achievement underscores our commitment to delivering unparalleled services and convenience to our esteemed clientele. The overwhelming response we've received since our inception reflects the trust and confidence placed in us by the business community. We remain dedicated to upholding the highest standards of excellence in aviation services,’’ he added.
- Enhanced connectivity to Middle East cities, Bangalore & Hyderabad
- Indigo to operate daily flights to Calicut
Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) announced its summer schedule which will be effective from 31 March till 26th October 2024. A total of 1628 weekly operations against the 1330 operations for the ongoing winter schedule is the highlight of this schedule. Additional domestic services to Agatti, Hyderabad and Bangalore are also enlisted in the summer schedule in line with surging passenger preferences.
The announced schedule will see 29 airlines among which 26 are operating in the international sector. Indigo tops the list with 49 weekly departures to international destinations whereas Air India Express will have 41 departure operations weekly. There will be 66 weekly departures to Abu Dhabi alone. Doha comes second with 46 operations whereas Dubai comes third with 45 operations from Kochi. Thai Airways to commence tri-weekly premium flights to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport and Thai Lion Air will operate daily flights to Bangkok Don Mueng airport. Akasa Air will commence its operation in the international sector with daily flights to Abu Dhabi, Riyadh and Jeddah. Etihad operates additional 7 weekly flights to Abu Dhabi and 5 weekly flights to Kuala-Lumpur will be operated by AirAsia Berhad. Indigo will operate an additional flight to Doha and SpiceJet announced an additional daily flight to Male. Air India, who now operates tri-weekly flights to London- Gatwick airport on every tuesdays, thursdays and saturdays, expands its operations with an additional flight per week. Jazeera Airways and Saudia will commence additional 2 weekly flights to Kuwait and Jeddah respectively.
CIAL’s efforts to expand services on busy routes and introduce regional routes have garnered positive feedback. Recent tourism development in Lakshadweep has also sparked increased interest. Currently, in the ongoing winter schedule, there are 10 weekly departure flights to Agatti, all operated by Alliance Air. Now it will increase to 16 as Indigo commences daily flights to Agatti. Air India Express will operate additional 2 daily flights to Hyderabad and Akasa Air, Vistara will operate additional daily flights to Bangalore. Currently there are 97 weekly services to Bangalore. Indigo, Air India Express and Akasha Air will operate an additional 14 weekly services. With this, an average of 16 flights will operate in the Kochi-Bangalore sector every day. Also, Indigo will commence daily flights to the new domestic sector, Calicut. The flight from Calicut will depart at 08:30 in the morning and reach Kochi at 09:30. The return flight from Kochi is at 13:35 and will reach Calicut at 14:35. The domestic sector wise weekly flight status in CIAL’s 2024 summer schedule includes 122 flights to Bangalore, 71 to Delhi, 68 to Mumbai, 61 to Hyderabad, 49 to Chennai, 16 to Agathi, 7 flights each to Ahmedabad, Goa, Kannur, Kolkata, Pune and Thiruvananthapuram and 5 to Salem. This makes a total weekly movement of 814 arrival and departure each.
CIAL Managing Director S. Suhas IAS said that the company is making vigorous efforts to adapt and innovate in response to the evolving landscape of the Indian aviation sector, as CIAL is the only airport in Kerala to handle 10 million passengers in a calendar year. Also, CIAL is the 4th largest airport in the country in terms of international traffic.“CIAL is actively preparing and formulating strategies to accommodate this growth, devising new route maps for the future. As evident, there is a definite increase in the number of domestic flight services, and additional services to many Gulf cities are firmly scheduled for commencement.With a continued focus, CIAL aims to solidify Kochi's status as a key hub for air travel in South India”, said Suhas.
CIAL, renowned as the world’s first airport fully powered by solar energy, is pioneering an initiative to produce Green Hydrogen in collaboration with Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), marking its distinction as the world's first airport to venture into this endeavour, further advancing its green initiatives.