KOCHI: Kochi airport director A C K Nair will retire on Tuesday after 22 years of service with the Cochin International Airport Authority (CIAL). His 18-year stint as an airport director marks a record in the country for anyone in that post. Having joined CIAL in 2000, he has been serving as the Kochi airport director since 2004.
Nair played an important role in the modernisation of the airport, pivoting several projects. Over the years, they have set new benchmarks in airport operations, including the installation of an integrated airport management system, innovative power distribution system and India’s first computed tomography-based baggage screening system. His leadership has been instrumental in making Kochi airport one of the best in the country, and in the process helping the airport management find new revenue streams.
A BTech degree holder from College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram, Nair was deputed to CIAL in 1996 while working as the regional head of the electrical division of the Airports Authority of India. CIAL was then in its formative years and struggling to build an airport. His technical knowledge and leadership qualities enabled CIAL to surmount many technical challenges during the initial years when the project was under way.
On the completion of the project, he decided to continue with the Kochi airport and subsequently took charge as the deputy general manager-electrical in 2000. He secured an MBA while in service and also functioned as the Asia-Pacific director of Airport Council International, an international forum of airport operators, for six years. In addition to being the airport director, Nair has been in charge of the electrical, IT, cargo, fire and security wings, and has also served as the managing director of the Cochin International Aviation Services Limited.