1,300 acres of land, three terminals, over 1 crore passengers per year, 18,000 investors, C160-crore-plus profits per year, India’s first airport with public participation and world’s first airport fully-powered by solar energy. As CIAL celebrates its silver jubilee, Express looks at the amazing journey of India’s first private airport
KOCHI: Everyone has their calling, their highest purpose on earth. V J Kurian firmly believes his calling was to build the airport in Kochi. “I still wonder why I took such a huge risk. I was then the Ernakulam Collector, just nine years into service, and 25 years or so to go. Then this proposal to build the airport in Kochi came up. I thought why not take the risk,” says Kurian, 62, recollecting the spectacular journey of Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL), India’s first private airport which celebrates the silver jubilee of its inauguration May 25.
“I believe God has a plan for bringing someone into this Earth. My calling is to build this airport,” Kurian, who has been at helm of the airport 18 out of the 25 years, says.
Back in the early 1990s, the circumstances were that Kochi (then Cochin) needed a new airport. The naval airport was actually not good enough to accommodate the Airbus 321s. Indian Airlines were buying a lot of A320s during those days. “If Airbus 320 cannot land here, we will be out of the aviation map itself. That was the time when the proposal to build a new airport came. A meeting happened where we were asked to produce money,” says Kurian.
In 1991, the central government convened a meeting to discuss the expansion and renovation of the naval airport at Willingdon Island. Kurian, who was then the Ernakulam District Collector, represented the Kerala government. “The proposal for a new airport came up at the meeting, but the central government refused to provide any funds,” explains Kurian. “We required Rs 200 crore, and that’s when we went for the new concept of raising funds from the public to build the airport,” he says.
The expectation was that over four lakh investors would put in Rs 5000 each but what it received was a meagre Rs 4.47 crore. Kurian then embarked on the hitherto novel concept of ‘Securitisation of future receivables’. “We gave our right for refuelling to BPCL; ground handling rights were given for 10 years to Air India,” he explains.
LAND ACQUISITION
Though it was easier than now, Kurian’s formula to acquire 1300 acres of land for building the airport at Nedumbassery can be a case study for land acquisitions. “We gave a fantastic package. Wetland was then sold at `100/cent and the going rate for dryland was something like Rs 1000/cent those days. For the Rs 100/cent, we offered a minimum of Rs 2200/cent; and for Rs 1000/cent we gave Rs 6500/cent. “Only four people come up with dharna and other protests,” he points out.
There were also people living in ‘lakshamveedu colonies’, who had to be rehabilitated for the airport project. “There were people who were occupying duplex houses on three cents of land. “We told them why to bother about 1 1/2 cents of land when we could give you money for their holding plus another six cents of land free of cost,” he said. “We rehabilitated 822 people, who lost their homes. For this, we had acquired 56 acres of land, developed it and distributed all six cents of land free of cost. “We are talking about 1995-96. We compensated as well as rehabilitated. We also allowed those people to dismantle their houses and take them away. We ensured water connection, power connection and road in front of their homes situated on their six cents property,” Kurian said.
At a time when an over-bridge takes 10 years to complete, the work on the airport was completed in five years. Kurian says till the first flight landed, he was not sure if the project will fructify. “We were always under financial stress. There were times when we used to forgo our salaries.”
In the 25 years, CIAL has notched up several important milestones -- it’s one of the four busiest airports in the country in terms of international traffic; seventh busiest in overall traffic.
After CIAL earned global praise for becoming the world’s first airport to be fully-powered by solar energy in 2015, Kurian points out that no airport has achieved the feat even after four years. “We produce 40 mw through solar,” he says.
FUTURE PLANS
Exciting new projects keeps Kurian going. The inland waterways project, that he is occupied with now, will be completed by 2020 as assured by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. Along with the solar projects, CIAL is also executing small hydroelectric projects. “The 4 mw hydro-electric project at Arippara in Kozhikode will be commissioned in September this year. The work on a mega hotel near the airport has been completed and will be inaugurated next year,” he says.
Kurian feels the new civil service officers seem to be lacking motivation to take big risks, to take the nation forward. “If young officers are reluctant to go for big project there is no point in coming to the service,” he signs off.