Calicut International Airport (IATA:CCJ,ICAO:VOCL), locally referred to asKaripur Airport, is aninternational airport serving the city ofKozhikode in the state ofKerala,India. It is situated atKondotty 28 km (17 mi) away from thecity center. The airport opened on 13 April 1988,[4][5] serves as an operating base forAir India Express. It istied withHyderabad in terms of international traffic. It received the international airport status on 2 February 2006.[6][7] It is one of the few airports in the country with atabletop runway.
The airport was inaugurated on 13 April 1988.[8] In 1977, the airport was sanctioned due to long periods of struggle under the leadership of the late freedom fighter,K. P. Kesava Menon.[citation needed] In the 1990s,Gulf Malayalis played an important role in the development of the airport - they collected funds for the purpose when the Union Government claimed it did not have any. This led to the inception of the Malabar International Airport Development Society, which helped raise funds for the airport's development.[citation needed] Consequently, major developments of facilities, such as an extension of the runway from 6,000 feet to 9,000 feet to facilitate the operation of large aircraft, were carried out with loans from theHousing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO).[citation needed]It received the status of an international airport on 2 February 2006[citation needed], which led to more development in its infrastructure, for handling the operation of international flights from its terminal.
Since 1 May 2015, theAirports Authority of India (AAI) imposed restrictions on the operation of wide-body aircraft such asBoeing 777 and747 for a period of six months for runway recarpeting, which had been long overdue at this airport. As a result,Emirates,Saudia and twoAir IndiaBoeing 747 flight operations had to move temporarily toCochin International Airport during this time.[9] The airport authorities had expressed doubt about getting permission to operate wide-bodied aircraft from the airport, even after the completion of the recarpeting, for the runway in the airport is not large enough for the operation of jumbo aircraft. AAI had earlier instructed that all airports using widebody aircraft must have 240 m ofRunway End Safety Area (RESA) in each direction, whereas that of Calicut Airport must have 90 m.[10] The airport director K Janardhanan said the short runway was a major hurdle in operating wide-bodied aircraft from thetabletop runway and the runway length should be extended from the current 2,850 m to 3,150 m to operate wide-bodied aircraft, he added. The major hurdle in extending the runway is the delay in acquiring the land which requires a total of 156 hectares (385 acres) of land for extending the runway and associated facilities. The state government has been finding the task difficult, for it requires relocation of 1,500 families living around the airport.[11] As of 10 June 2016, not much action has been taken for land acquisition to help increase the runway length.[12] The AAI decided to get a runway safety area to avoid the aircraft overrunning the end of the table-top runway. On 7 August 2020, wide-body aircraft have been banned from flying to CCJ after the crash ofIX 1344, which overran the table-top runway.[13] As of November 2020, the airport does not have the recommendedRunway safety area orEngineered Materials Arresting System installed. The land acquisition procedures for runway development are progressing as of July 2022.[13]
On 7 August 2020,Air India Express Flight 1344, aCOVID-19 repatriation flight on theDubai-Kozhikode route, overran the tabletop runway upon landing in bad weather and crashed into the runway slope, killing 21 passengers. As a result, wide-body aircraft are no longer permitted to fly to Kozhikode Airport, and as of 7 July 2022, runway renovation is in progress.[13]
Kozhikode International Airport is located between two National Highways. The closest one isNational Highway 966 (NH-966) situated at a distance of 2.3 kilometres and the other one beingNational Highway 66 (NH-66) which is around 8 kilometres from the airport. NH-966 joins NH-66 atRamanattukara, located 12 kilometres from the airport. This combined road network enables seamless connectivity to the north toKozhikode,Kannur, andWayanad, and towards the south toMalappuram,Kondotty,Palakkad,Thrissur, andCoimbatore.
Buses
Kerala State Road Transport Corporation operatesFlyBus (low-floorair con bus) services to the city ofKozhikode from the airport.[55] This is one of the cheapest available options to travel to the city. There are only a handful of these services so travellers looking for cheap options to travel can take an Auto-rickshaw to Airport Junction - Kondotty (2.8 km away) where buses are available to Kozhikode, Malappuram, Palakkad etc.
Pre-paid taxi services are available at the airport.[56] The airport is also serviced byUber andOla Cabs, online cab aggregators providing various options to Calicut city and for Outstation journeys.[further explanation needed]
On 17 January 1969, aDouglas C-47A VT-DTH ofHindu Publications crashed on take-off. The aircraft was operating a cargo flight. Both crew were killed. At the time the airport had been initialised as an air strip atChelari Airport,[57] a few kilometres away from the current location.[58]
On 7 November 2008,Air India Flight 962, anAirbus 310 flying fromJeddah,Saudi Arabia, scraped its right wingtip on the runway on landing. Parts of the plane's wing broke, leaving a mark on the runway.[59]
On 9 July 2012, anAir India ExpressBoeing 737-800 skidded on landing, during heavy rain. The aircraft's landing gear impacted with runway beacons, breaking them.[60] There were no casualties on board.[60]
On 10 June 2015, an argument betweenCentral Industrial Security Force (CISF) andAirports Authority of India (AAI) personnel at the airport escalated into firearm discharging, leading to one person's death and serious injuries to two others late on Wednesday night.[61]
On 25 April 2017, Air India Flight 937, anAir IndiaA321-200 suffered an engine failure during takeoff, the aircraft temporarily lost directional control due to asymmetric thrust resulting in a left tyre burst when it impacted the runway edge lighting. The takeoff was aborted and the flight cancelled.[62]
On 7 August 2020,Air India Express Flight 1344 crashed upon landing at Calicut fromDubai during poor weather. After landing, the aircraft, aBoeing 737-800, overran thetabletop runway, skidding off the end of the runway and crashing into a gorge. A total of 21 people, including both pilots, were killed in the crash. 15 people out of the 169 survivors were critically injured.[63][64] The aircraft had been carrying out a repatriation flight under theVande Bharat Mission.
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