By The Hindu Bureau

Copyright thehindu

Kannur International Airport is poised for a major leap in accessibility and regional development, with the State government fast-tracking land acquisition and infrastructure upgrades to ease connectivity from all directions.

A recent high-level meeting in Thiruvananthapuram has decided to assign special officers to expedite land acquisition for the Chorukkala-Bavuparamba-Mayyil-Kololam-Mattanur Airport Link Road, seen as the crucial route for improving access to the airport from northern and hilly districts. Revenue Minister K. Rajan, Public Works Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas, and MLA M.V. Govindan chaired the meeting that set an October 25 deadline for obtaining technical approval and initiating the tender process.

Funded by the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB) with an allocation of ₹73.9 crore, the project requires acquisition of 18 hectares of land from around 1,600 landowners.

Once the 19(1) notification is issued, documents will be verified and compensation will be transferred directly to the landowners’ bank accounts. The 22.56 km will start from Chorukkala State Highway and, once completed, will provide seamless access to Kannur International Airport from regions including Kasaragod, Alakode, Kudiyanmala, Cherupuzha, Chapparapadavu and Pulingome.

Mr. Govindan said the project will bring a big change to Taliparamba constituency, noting that allocation of ₹231 crore for road construction was in the final stages. Connected to tourist and pilgrimage centres, the new road will integrate with the Talipuramba-Manakadava-Choruk road and the ETC-Mallur-Manyur-Panniyur road, which is under renovation. The recently completed Pumangalam-Kodileri bridge and its approach road, once ready, will further enhance connectivity to Parassinikadavu, a key pilgrimage and tourism centre, expanding the catchment area of the airport.

Major road network

Kannur International Airport, located 28 km from Kannur city, is connected by an evolving network of regional and national roads.

The Kannur-Chovva-Mattannur road, the airport’s main access road, is being upgraded to national highway standards. The upgrade will drastically reduce travel time between the city and the airport, said MLA K.K Shailaja.

She said Chovva-Mattannur road’s linkage with NH66 will hugely benefit the Mattanur constituency and the development of airport. While citing that the acquisition work is progressing fast, she appealed to the government to speed up the process by paying the rightful compensation.

Similar improvements are also planned in Koduvally-Mambaram-Anjarakandy and Mattannur road. According to a senior official in the land acquisition department, 11(1) notification has already been issued in January and that individual survey is progressing. It has been proposed to acquire 39.93 hectares, which will approximately affect 220 residents.

Likewise for the acquisition in Peringathur-Panoor-Koothuparamba-Mattanur road the department is collecting data for 11(1) notification. About 39.863 hectares is llkely to be acquired for the upgradation of the road.

The government will soon declare 11(1) notification for the development of Manathavady-Boys town-Kottiyoor-Kelakam- Kanichar-Pervaoor-Mattanur road. As per the plan about 84.906 hectares of land will be acquired here.

Lifeline to the region

North Malabar Chamber of Commerce Ramesh Kumar T.K said that access roads is lifeline to the airport and the region. “As the road connectivity improve, the passengers and cargo movement to the airport will increase. This will not just help the airport, but will the region and provide employment to people.

He said that the government should take necessary step to speed up the procedure to acquire and develop the road and infrastructure facility. However, there has been inordinate delay. This is affecting the overall growth and development, he said.

Denial of POC status

Kannur airport has seen steady growth since its launch in December 2018. Passenger traffic has risen by 7% annually, with international movements growing by 14% in the last fiscal year. However, the denial of Point of Call (POC) status by the Union government contributes to limited foreign airline operations.

Mr. Ramesh said the Centre argues that POC rights are reserved for metro airports under bilateral air service agreements to protect Indian carriers. He criticised the policy as discriminatory, highlighting that nearly 20 foreign airlines have expressed interest in operations from Kannur.

“The state has submitted multiple representations to the Prime Minister and the Civil Aviation Ministry, while a Parliamentary Standing Committee has also recommended granting POC status to Kannur. Public campaigns demanding policy changes are ongoing,” he added.

Mr. Ramesh said improved road connectivity combined with steady passenger growth and ongoing infrastructure expansion is expected to position the airport as a major gateway for North Kerala and Southern Karnataka. If the central policy barriers are eased and the State’s infrastructure push continues, Kannur airport could finally realise its founding mission, becoming a vital driver of connectivity, commerce and regional prosperity for Malabar, he observed.