KOCHI: The Kochi airport will become the country’s fourth airport to operate a business jet terminal when Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan launches the gateway on Saturday. The business jet terminal, which will handle charter operations, will also be the largest in the country, covering 40,000 sq ft of area.
Last year alone, Kochi airport handled around 700-plus business jets, which is significant given that the aviation sector has not fully recovered from the post-pandemic blues, said an airport official.
“We are eying good business during IPL auctions later this month and the G20 meeting,” he said. The IPL auctions will be held in Kochi towards the end of this month, while the port city is also in the reckoning to host one of the ministerial meetings preceding the 2023 G20 Leaders Summit.
Run by Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL), the gateway will serve as a platform to integrate international and domestic business jet services, tourism and business meetings. The gateway features facilities like an exclusive private car parking space, a drive-in porch, a grand lobby, five comfortable lounges, a business centre, check-in, immigration, customs, health and security systems, duty-free shop, a foreign exchange counter and a state-of-the-art video conferencing system. Apart from this, a ‘safe house’ is also set up for high-security VIP guests.
The concept of a relatively low-cost business jet travel with ultramodern facilities will be achieved by the opening of this terminal, as the cost of production was minimal. Keeping the future of the aviation sector in mind, CIAL has planned several projects and ventures.
The business jet terminal is one such development strategy adopted by CIAL to invent and implement new sources of revenue. The terminal was completed in just 10 months at a cost of Rs 30 crore. The business jet terminal will start its operations on Saturday itself. Industries Minister P Rajeeve will preside over the function.
Flying high