The first flight from Kannur climbs skies

Kannur: As the cascading clatter of chenda intensified the jubilant mood, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Union Minister for Civil Aviation Suresh Prabhu jointly flagged off at 9.55 am on Sunday the first flight from Kannur International Airport.

It would land a couple of hours later at Abu Dhabi connecting the sleepy district to the world further afield.Two more flights were listed for the day.

Following the flag off, Chief Minister, the union minister and other ministers lit up a lamp at the departure hall.

Well before the sunrise today, a vibrancy culminating from the impatient wait was tangible in the airport and the outlying villages.

The airport became active at 6 in the morning with people milling about in twos and threes, before Ministers, political leaders and dignitaries walked in for the grand inauguration.

Shortly later the first passengers arrived after receiving bucolic welcome on the way from Vayanthode Mattannur Cooperative Bank.

Minister EP Jayarajan and others formally welcomed them in front of the departure hall. At 7.15 am the check-in counter started issuing boarding pass.

Flavouring the occasion, a cultural programme was underway at the main venue. Meanwhile, Minister Ramachandran Kadannappally inaugurated the VIP lounge in the departure area; Transport Minister AK Saseendran inaugurated the ATM.

Kannur International Airport( KIAL) is the fourth international airport in the state.

Flights from here would operate to the UAE, Oman, Qatar, besides domestic ones to Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Mumbai among others.

The KIAL is slated to serve more than 1.5 million international passengers annually.

It is expected to boost tourism in Kannur, Kasargode, Wayanad and increase trade and commerce in the handloom and spices sectors.

The airport would be able to handle 2,000 passengers at a time.

With inputs from IANS