Project report on Kannur airport next month: minister

The UDF government was keen to speed up the work on the airport and the impression being created by certain quarters that the work had slowed down “was not correct”,Babu,in charge of civil aviation matters in the state,told the Assembly during Question Hour.

Envisaged as a public-private initiative,49 per cent of equities of the airport would be raised from private individuals and institutions while 26 per cent would be vested with the state government.

Of the remaining stakes,23 per cent has been earmarked for PSUs and 2 per cent for other institutions and promoters.

The AII is the project consultant and 1,276.03 acres has already been acquired from near Mattannur town in Kannur district for developing the airport.

The airport is expected to serve a large number of Non-Resident Keralites (NRKs) in the districts of Kannur,Kasargode and Wayanad,who largely rely on Kozhikode and Mangalore airports for air travel.

Travel and hospitality industries have also shown keen interest in the project as it will give a boost to the untapped tourism potential of the region.