KOCHI: The Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) has initiated discussions with major airlines to improve direct flight services to European countries. There is a huge demand for direct services to London and Frankfurt and efforts are on to lure airlines operators to launch direct services to these cities.
As an initial step, CIAL has waived parking and landing fees for airlines operating in the European sector.
The airport handles around 1.85 lakh passengers in Kochi - Europe sector a year and on an average nearly 900 passengers transit through Kochi to European destinations. A survey conducted by CIAL in 2019 had revealed that the demand in the Kochi-Europe sector is set to rise and there is a huge potential for direct flight operations. There is demand for services in Kochi-US transit sector and Australia.
“European connectivity has been a long-pending demand from expats. We have waived parking and landing fees for airlines operating direct services to London. We hope the the gesture will give an impetus to our efforts to attract carriers from other parts of the world. If things work out, we will be able to host more foreign airlines,” said CIAL managing director S Suhas. “We expect at least three direct flight services to European countries a day by 2022 if the operators deploy Dreamliner aircraft,” said an official at CIAL.