KOCHI: The operations of the domestic terminal at the Cochin International Airport (CIAL) will be transferred from Terminal 2 to the newly inaugurated Terminal 1 in three phases. The arrival operations will be shifted to the new terminal from 10 am on Wednesday. However, the domestic departure will continue at Terminal 2 till further announcement.
Boarding gate operations at Terminal 1 will begin on Thursday, CIAL authorities said in a statement here on Tuesday. The renovated domestic terminal was inaugurated by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on December 12. The heritage terminal renovated a cost of Rs 240 crore, stands out from other airport terminals with its traditional architectural style blended with modern airport facilities.
The new terminal boasts a capacity to handle 4,000 passengers an hour with the terminal space being enhanced from one lakh sqft earlier to six lakh sqft. There are 56 check-in counters, seven aerobridges, a state of the art conveyor belt system that can handle baggage from 12 flights at a time, six reserve lounges, art area, food court and executive lounge beside 50, 000 sqft shipping area featuring international brands.