Calicut International Airport

Calicut International Airport (IATA: CCJ, ICAO: VOCL), also known as Karipur Airport, is an international airport located in Karipur, Malappuram district of Kerala, India. It serves the Malabar region of Kozhikode, Malappuram, Wayanad and Palakkad. It is situated 25 kilometres away from Malappuram city and 28 kilometres away from Kozhikode city. It serves two of the seven metropolitan areas in the state- Kozhikode metropolitan area and Malappuram metropolitan area. The airport opened on 13 April 1988.[4][5] The airport serves as an operating base for Air India Express and operates Hajj Pilgrimage services to Medina and Jeddah from Kerala. It was the eleventh-busiest airport in India in terms of overall passenger traffic.[6] It is the third-busiest airport in Kerala after Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram. It was given international airport status on 2 February 2006.[7][8] It is one of few airports in the country with a tabletop runway. It is a focus airport for Air India, Indigo and Spicejet. It is one of the most profitable public sector airports in India.

Calicut International Airport
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerAAI
OperatorAirports Authority of India
Serves
LocationKaripur, Kondotty, Malappuram, Kerala, India
Hub forAir India Express
Elevation AMSL104 m / 342 ft
Coordinates11°08′10″N 75°57′18″E
Websitewww.kozhikodeairport.com
Map
CCJ
CCJ
CCJ
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
10/28 2,860 9,383 Asphalt
Statistics (April 2019 - March 2020)
Passenger movements3,229,910 (-3.9%)
Aircraft movements25,355 (-5.2%)
Cargo tonnage28,179 ( 63%)
Source: AAI[1][2][3]

History

Early years

The airport was inaugurated in April 1988.[9]

In 1977, Calicut Airport was sanctioned due to long periods of struggle under the leadership of the late freedom fighter K. P. Kesava Menon. In the 1990s, Gulf Malayalis played an important role in the development of the airport - they collected funds for the purpose when the Union Government claimed it did not have any. This led to the inception of the Malabar International Airport Development Society, which helped raise funds for the airport's development. Consequently, major developments of facilities, such as extension of the runway from 6,000 feet to 9,000 feet to facilitate the operation of large aircraft, were carried out with loans from the HUDCO.

It received the status of an international airport on 2nd February 2006, which led to more development in its infrastructure, for handling the operation of international flights from its terminal. It is the 12th-busiest airport in India in terms of its passenger traffic, and 11th-busiest in cargo handling.

Wide-body aircraft restrictions

Since 1 May 2015, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) imposed restrictions on operation of wide-body aircraft such as Boeing 777 and 747 for a period of six months for runway recarpeting, which had been long overdue at this airport. As a result, Emirates, Saudia and two Air India Boeing 747 flight operations had to move temporarily to Cochin International Airport during this time.[10] The airport authorities had expressed doubt about getting permission to operate wide-bodied aircraft from the airport, even after the completion of the recarpeting, for the runway in the airport is not large enough for the operation of jumbo aircraft. AAI had earlier instructed that all airports using widebody aircraft must have 240 m of RESA in each direction, whereas that of Calicut Airport must have 90 m.[11] The airport director K Janardhanan said the short runway was a major hurdle in operating the wide-bodied aircraft from the tabletop runway and the runway length should be extended from the current 2,850 m to 3,150 m to operate wide-bodied aircraft, he added. The major hurdle in extending the runway is the delay in acquiring the land which require a total of 156 hectares (385 acres) of land for extending the runway and associated facilities. The state government has been finding the task difficult, for it requires relocation of 1,500 families living around the airport.[12] As of 10 June 2016, not much action has been taken for land acquisition to help increase the runway length.[13] The AAI decided to get a safety area (RESA) to avoid the aircraft overrunning from the table-top runway. The RESA extension was completed in 2017; it was widened to 240 m from 90 m.[11]

Reinstatement of wide-body aircraft operations

As advocated by various Malayali associations like KMCC, MCC and MDF and others, Gulf Malayalis, political parties, Kerala State Government and MPs from Malabar region, on 9 August 2018, DGCA gave approval for resuming wide-body aircraft (Code E category) operations from Calicut International Airport.[14][15][16][17][18][19][20] In the beginning, Saudia has been given permission to start nonstop flights to Jeddah and Riyadh, Boeing 777-200LR and Airbus 330-300.[14][15] After three and a half years, the wide-body aircraft (Airbus 330-300) of Saudi Arabian Airlines from Jeddah landed at Calicut International Airport at 11:04 (IST) on 5 December 2018.[21][22][23] It flew back to Jeddah on the same day at 13:19 (IST).[24][25][23] Saudia has also resumed its services to Riyadh from Calicut in December 2018.[26] On 5 July 2019, Saudi Arabian Airlines now flying with Boeing 777-300ER and Airbus 330-300 to CCJ. DGCA gave approval for wide-body aircraft operations of Air India from Calicut International Airport using Boeing 747-400, Boeing 777-200LR, Boeing 777-300ER, and Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.[27][28] Emirates also secured approval from DGCA to operate Boeing 777-200LR and 777-300ER from Calicut.[27][28]Air India already resumed its service with Boeing 747-400 Jumbo aircraft and with Boeing 777-300 ER aircraft.Qatar Airways will be operating by Boeing 777-200LR which had already got permission from DGCA to operated to CCJ.

Airlines and destinations

Passenger
AirlinesDestinations
Air ArabiaSharjah
Air IndiaDelhi, Dubai–International, Jeddah, Kannur, Mumbai, Sharjah
Air India ExpressAbu Dhabi, Al Ain, Bahrain, Dammam, Doha, Dubai–International, Kochi, Kuwait, Mumbai, Muscat, Ras Al Khaimah, Riyadh, Salalah, Sharjah, Thiruvananthapuram
Alliance AirAgatti, Bangalore
EmiratesDubai–International (temporarily suspended)
Etihad AirwaysAbu Dhabi[29]
flydubaiDubai–International
FlynasRiyadh[30]
Gulf AirBahrain
IndiGoAbu Dhabi, Bangalore, Chennai, Dammam,[31] Delhi, Doha, Dubai–International, Jeddah,[32] Mumbai, Riyadh
Oman AirMuscat, Salalah
Qatar AirwaysDoha
Salam AirCharter: Muscat[33][34]
Saudia Jeddah, Riyadh[35]
Hajj: Medina
SpiceJet Dubai–International, Jeddah, Mumbai[36]
SriLankan AirlinesColombo–Bandaranaike

Cargo

The following cargo airlines fly to the airport:

Connectivity
Road

Calicut International Airport is located between two National Highways. The closest one is National Highway 966 (NH-966) situated at a distance of 2.3 kilometers and the other one being National Highway 66 (NH-66) which is around 8 kilometers from the airport. NH-966 joins NH-66 at Ramanattukara, located 12 kilometers from the airport. This combined road network enables seamless connectivity to the north to Kozhikode, Kannur, and Wayanad, and towards the south to Malappuram, Palakkad, Thrissur, and Coimbatore.

Buses

Kerala State Road Transport Corporation operates FlyBus (low-floor AC bus) services to the city of Kozhikode from the airport.[37] This is one of the cheapest available options to travel to the city. There are only a handful of these services so travelers looking for cheap options to travel can take an Auto-rickshaw to Airport Junction (2.8 km away) where buses are available to Kozhikode, Malappuram, Palakkad etc.

Rail

The two closest railway stations are Feroke railway station (around 18 kilometers from the airport), Parappanangadi railway station (around 20 kilometers from the airport), Tanur railway station (around 28 kilometers from the airport), Kozhikode Railway station (around 28 kilometers from the airport), and Tirur Railway Station (around 34 kilometers away), which are connected to all major cities in India.  

Taxis

Pre-paid taxi services are available at the airport.[38] The airport is also serviced by Uber and Ola Cabs, online cab aggregators providing various options to Calicut city and for Outstation journeys.

Accidents and incidents
  • On 17 January 1969, a Douglas C-47A VT-DTH of Hindu Publications crashed on take-off. The aircraft was operating a cargo flight. Both crew were killed. At the time the airport had been initialized as an air strip at "Chelari", a few kilometres away from the current location.[39]
  • On 7 November 2008, Air India Flight 962, an Airbus 310 flying from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, scraped its right wingtip on the runway on landing. Parts of the plane's wing broke, leaving a mark on the runway.[40]
  • On 9 July 2012, an Air India Express Boeing 737-800 skidded on landing, during heavy rain. The aircraft's landing gear impacted with runway beacons, breaking them.[41] There were no casualties on board.[41]
  • On 10 June 2015 an argument between Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and Airports Authority of India (AAI) personnel at the airport escalated into firearm discharging, leading to one person's death and serious injuries to two others late on Wednesday night.[42]
  • On 25 April 2017, an Air India A321-200 suffered an engine failure during takeoff, resulting in a left tyre burst. The takeoff was aborted and the flight cancelled.[43]
  • On 4 August 2017, a SpiceJet Bombardier Dash 8 skidded on landing and damaged the ILS beacons.
  • On August 7, 2020, Air India Express Flight 1344 crashed upon landing at Calicut from Dubai during poor weather. After landing, the aircraft, a Boeing 737-800, overran the tabletop runway, skidding off the end of the runway and crashing into a gorge. A total of 18 people, including both pilots, were killed in the crash. At least 15 people aboard were in critical condition.[44][45][46] The aircraft had been carrying out a repatriation flight under the Vande Bharat Mission.
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See also

References
  1. "Traffic News for the month of March 2019: Annexure-III" (PDF). Airports Authority of India. 1 May 2019. p. 3. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  2. "Traffic News for the month of March 2019: Annexure-II" (PDF). Airports Authority of India. 1 May 2019. p. 3. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  3. "Traffic News for the month of March 2019: Annexure-IV" (PDF). Airports Authority of India. 1 May 2019. p. 3. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 April 2019. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  4. "Calicut airport turns 30". 12 April 2018 – via www.thehindu.com.
  5. "About Calicut Airport".
  6. "AAI traffic figures 2011-2012" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 May 2013. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
  7. "Calicut Airport". Iloveindia.com. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
  8. Archive. "Calicut airport given international status". Hindu.com. Retrieved 12 March 2017.
  9. "Silver jubilee does not bring cheer to Karipur airport users". The Times of India. 2 April 2012.
  10. "Airlines pull out of Calicut International Airport". Business Traveller. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  11. "No end to woes of Calicut airport". The Hindu. Special Correspondent. 29 June 2018. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 22 March 2019.CS1 maint: others (link)
  12. Devasia, T K. "Wide-body aircraft operations to and from Gulf to stop at Calicut - Khaleej Times". www.khaleejtimes.com. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  13. "Plea to acquire land for airport". The Hindu. 10 June 2016. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 12 June 2016.
  14. "Finally, DGCA gives nod for operation of wide-bodied aircraft at Calicut airport". The Hindu. Special Correspondent. 10 August 2018. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 10 August 2018.CS1 maint: others (link)
  15. "Green signal for jumbo aircraft". The Hindu. Special Correspondent. 10 August 2018. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 10 August 2018.CS1 maint: others (link)
  16. "Operation of wide-body aircraft from Calicut to commence soon: Suresh Prabhu". The Economic Times. 9 August 2018. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  17. Reporter, Staff (12 July 2018). "MP On 'save Calicut airport' mission". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  18. "Forum alleges conspiracy to downgrade Calicut airport". The Hindu. Special Correspondent. 5 July 2018. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 10 August 2018.CS1 maint: others (link)
  19. "Calicut airport expansion: AAI chief to meet CM". The Hindu. Special Correspondent. 24 July 2018. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 10 August 2018.CS1 maint: others (link)
  20. "Calicut airport to see operation of wide-bodied aircraft: Centre". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  21. "Saudia (SV) #746 ✈ 05-Dec-2018 ✈ JED / OEJN - CCJ / VOCL ✈ FlightAware". FlightAware. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
  22. Reporter, Staff (5 December 2018). "Big birds back in Karipur". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
  23. "Big aircraft to return to Calicut from 5 December". The Hindu. Retrieved 19 November 2018.
  24. "Saudia (SV) #747 ✈ 05-Dec-2018 ✈ CCJ / VOCL - JED / OEJN ✈ FlightAware". FlightAware. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
  25. "Large plane lands at Calicut airport after three years". OnManorama. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
  26. "SAUDIA Press releases". www.saudia.com. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
  27. "DGCA approves operation of big aircraft from Calicut". The Hindu. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  28. "Air India, Emirates get DGCA nod to resume jumbo flight operations from Karipur Airport". The Times of India. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  29. "Etihad flights to Kozhikode". etihad.com. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
  30. "Flynas W19 network expansion". routesonline.com.
  31. "New Flights Information, Status & Schedule | IndiGo". www.goindigo.in.
  32. "IndiGo expands Saudi Arabia service in 1Q20". Airlineroute. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  33. https://www.thearabianstories.com/2020/06/05/covid-19-repatriation-salamair-to-operate-first-charter-flight-from-oman-to-india-tomorrow/
  34. https://www.thearabianstories.com/2020/06/08/salamairs-second-charter-flight-by-kmcc-will-take-off-from-oman-to-india-today/
  35. "Big aircraft to return to Calicut from 5 December". The Hindu. Retrieved 3 December 2018.
  36. https://www.spicejet.com/Schedules.aspx
  37. Reporter, Staff (4 July 2018). "Fly Bus services launched". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  38. "Kozhikode Calicut International Airport – Taxi options". www.kozhikodeairport.com. Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  39. "VT-DTH Accident Description". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 23 January 2011.
  40. Narrow escape for AI passengers The Hindu 8 November 2008
  41. Jolly, Asit (30 November 2012). "On a Wing and a Prayer". India Today.
  42. Shooting incident International Business Times 11 June 2015
  43. Engine failure: Narrow escape for 186 Air India flyers The Times of India, 25 April 2017.
  44. Manorama News, 7 August 2020.
  45. "Air India jet breaks in two on Kerala runway". BBC News. 7 August 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2020.
  46. https://apnews.com/4ca4ac33e2b3f8a7f3832022dae4789d

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