When Kannur International Airport (KIAL) commenced operations in 2018, people had hopes of getting connected to various destinations, both domestic and international. But, the lack of air connectivity and higher ticket fares are bothering passengers and creating hurdles to the growth of the airport.
The passengers feel that in the absence of airlines, the existing fares in Kannur are exorbitantly high. When some of the airlines charge between ₹20,000 and ₹30,000 for tickets to Doha and Sharjah from Kannur, the prices are substantially lower from Kozhikode and Cochin airports. It is no different for domestic destinations as well.
Only a few airline companies, namely Air India Express, IndiGo, Go First and Air India are now operating at the airport. There are many ongoing discussions with companies such as SpiceJet and Vistara. However, with the Ministry of Civil Aviation refusing to grant ‘point of call’ status to the Kannur airport, the prospect of several foreign airlines, which had expressed interest, starting services from Kannur has dampened.
