Cochin International Airport Ltd has announced its summer schedule which will be effective from March 31 till October 26.

A total of 1,628 weekly operations against the 1,330 operations for the ongoing winter schedule is the highlight of the schedule. Additional domestic services to Agatti, Hyderabad and Bangalore are also enlisted in the summer schedule in line with surging passenger preferences.

The announced schedule will see 29 airlines among which 26 are operating in the international sector. Indigo tops the list with 49 weekly departures to international destinations whereas Air India Express will have 41 departure operations weekly. There will be 66 weekly departures to Abu Dhabi alone. Doha comes second with 46 operations whereas Dubai comes third with 45 operations from Kochi.

Thai Airways to commence tri-weekly premium flights to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport and Thai Lion Air will operate daily flights to Bangkok Don Mueng Airport. Akasa Air will commence its operation in the international sector with daily flights to Abu Dhabi, Riyadh and Jeddah. Etihad operates additional 7 weekly flights to Abu Dhabi and 5 weekly flights to Kuala-Lumpur will be operated by AirAsia Berhad.

CIAL’s efforts to expand services on busy routes and introduce regional routes have garnered positive feedback. Recent tourism development in Lakshadweep has also sparked increased interest. Currently, in the ongoing winter schedule, there are 10 weekly departure flights to Agatti, all operated by Alliance Air. Now it will increase to 16 as Indigo commences daily flights to Agatti. 

CIAL Managing Director S Suhas said the company is making vigorous efforts to adapt and innovate in response to the evolving landscape of the Indian aviation sector, as CIAL is the only airport in Kerala to handle 10 million passengers in a calendar year. Also, CIAL is the 4th largest airport in the country in terms of international traffic. “CIAL is actively preparing and formulating strategies to accommodate this growth, devising new route maps for the future. There is a definite increase in the number of domestic flight services, and additional services to many Gulf cities are firmly scheduled for commencement. With a continued focus, CIAL aims to solidify Kochi’s status as a key hub for air travel in South India”, he said.

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