India’s Calicut International Airport is on the verge of establishing direct air connections with Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, and Colombo, following assurances given at a meeting between representatives and airport-airline officials in Karipur on Monday.
Malaysia’s budget airline, AirAsia, has expressed interest in operating services between Karipur and Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok. Simultaneously, Sri Lanka’s low-cost airline, FitsAir, has volunteered to establish flights connecting Colombo and Karipur.
Despite reservations from several foreign airlines regarding the future of Calicut International Airport, especially concerning the delay in resuming wide-body flights, budget airlines from Malaysia and Sri Lanka have recognized the potential of Karipur.
Chaired by Airport Advisory Committee Chairman Abdussamad Samadani, MP, the meeting also provided assurances regarding the expansion of domestic flight services to Thiruvananthapuram and Delhi, along with international services to Jeddah.
AirAsia and FitsAir have expressed their willingness to initiate services from Karipur with the goal of establishing connections to countries such as Vietnam, Singapore, Australia, China, the Philippines, and Japan.
People’s representatives, including M.K. Raghavan, MP; Elamaram Kareem, MP; and T.V. Ibrahim, MLA, highlighted that the arrival of AirAsia and FitsAir marks a positive beginning for Karipur’s new phase of development. They expressed optimism that airlines from other countries would also choose Karipur in the coming years.
The meeting raised several demands, including improved connectivity to Goa, Srinagar, Ahmedabad, Pune, and Kolkata. MPs emphasized that a service to Kolkata would greatly benefit a significant number of migrant workers from northeastern states.
Air India Express officials pledged to increase services to Thiruvananthapuram from Karipur. While airlines such as IndiGo, Flynas, and SpiceJet committed to expanding services from Karipur, Saudi Arabian Airlines mentioned the need to await permission for large flights to operate from the airport.
Source: The Hindu
