[binand]

Originally Posted by TKMCE

Kerala may now have four airports but three of them are too far away from the city centre with the ride to down town taking an average of 75- 90 minutes. TRV is the only exception.

Kerala's airports are not serving cities per se; due to the demographic distribution of the state each airport serves an entire region. For example CCJ actually sits in the nearby Malappuram district and is primarily used by the people who work in the middle-east from the south Malabar districts (Kozhikode, Malappuram, Palakkad). As a matter of fact CCJ's domestic connectivity is atrocious; with just token services to Chennai, Bangalore, Delhi and Mumbai (sometimes introduced and quickly withdrawn) and nothing else.

If you drive along the NH 213 in the night you'll see any number of for-hire vehicles going to or coming from the airport carrying hopes and aspirations of families and sometimes whole localities. :-)

Not for nothing that CCJ is the biggest hub of Air India Express. I think CCJ's position is akin to East Midlands Airport in the UK.

[JohnyBoy]

Originally Posted by BaCkSeAtDrIVeR

F... That is why the airport was completed. IIRC, the spv was formed in 2006.

Yes, the company Kannur International Airport Limited was formed more than 10-12 years ago. And it's office is near my house in Trivandrum.
I was surprised to see Kannur Airport office in Trivandrum. I went inside and checked. They were just in the starting phase, only 3-4 staff, had a chat with them and found out they are inviting investments from public. I invested some money and became a share holder of Kannur Airport.

They sent me invitation for the inauguration ceremony, unfortunately I couldn't go. But happy that the airport I own (even though it is 0.0000000001%), is operational now.

[TKMCE]

Isnt this intentional to humor the local taxi folks who are the vote banks? I was in Kochi couple of weeks back and was surprised to see literally zero bus-shuttle services between Aluva (where the metro ends) and the airport... Probably a 10 km distance. Our Ola driver proudly claimed how the taxi mafia ensured that no bus shuttle runs betwen Aluva Metri and airport, and how KSRTC also reduced the Volvo services from the airport to the city so that taxis get more business.

Absolutely true. And the Ola/Uber taxi drivers have steadily lobbied to increase the minimum fares from Kochi airport so that people living within a ten km radius of the airport or those going to the nearest metro station (Aluva) pay around 400 Rs for a short ride. And then people go and give the airport "environment" awards- do not know what for.

COK Airport is well run in terms of facilities in the passenger terminals but must rank as one of the leading organisations in India in terms of social irrresponsibility. Failure to provide sufficient public transport access is criminal. With exception of a few services towards Calicut , there are hardly any buses between 10 PM and 6 PM , a period where a lot of international flights land. On an average there are 10-15 fatal accidents in an year the last few years due to drivers falling asleep while coming to drop off/pick up people at the airport at odd hours. The airport should be running or arranging shuttle services to Angamaly and Aluva Railway stations round the clock. They need not be free, people will happily pay for them rather than paying much higher taxi fares. Instead the airport operator ( CIAL) is busy developing their golf courses and conference centres.

There was a great opportunity to improve surface transport connectivity by building a metro extension to the airport . However the next phase of Metro will go to the IT corridor at Kakkanad where there is hardly any traffic in the weekends. Apparently the Kochi metro did a traffic study which forecasted limited traffic for an airport extension - in an airport which according to the CIAL's own website handle nearly 90 flight arrivals a day.


http://cial.aero/Pressroom/newsdetai...&news_status=A

[SilentEngine]

Will be interesting to see in coming days, how this affects two of the nearby airports CCJ (~100 kms away) and IXE (~140 kms way).

Based on flightradar data, CCJ mostly serves traffic to Gulf:
#1 DXB 37 flights/week
#2 SHJ 33 flights/week
#3 MCT 32 flights/week
#4 AUH 31 flights/week
#5 MAA 29 flights/week
#6 BOM 24 flights/week
#7 DOH 23 flights/week
#8 BLR 21 flights/week
#9 BAH 16 flights/week
#10 TRV 8 flights/week

IXE has a mix of traffic, but bulk of it is domestic.
#1 BLR 56 flights/week
#2 BOM 48 flights/week
#3 MAA 24 flights/week
#4 DXB 23 flights/week
#5 HYD 16 flights/week
#6 DEL 8 flights/week
#7 AUH 4 flights/week
#8 DMM 4 flights/week
#9 BAH 4 flights/week
#10 DOH 3 flights/week

CNN has started direct routes to AUH, DOH, RUH, SHJ (all Air India). It's obvious that some of the CCJ traffic to Gulf will now be served by CNN. Impact on IXE would be mostly to domestic traffic. Interestingly there is no direct route to DXB from CNN yet.

I think the real opportunity is in bringing entirely new set of domestic fliers who otherwise would have used other modes of transport.

[binand]

Originally Posted by TKMCE

COK Airport [...] must rank as one of the leading organisations in India in terms of social irrresponsibility.

I'm not too sure if I agree with you. CIAL has been facilitated worldwide for its social responsibility - for example, see:

http://web.unep.org/championsofearth...ns-earth-award

Originally Posted by TKMCE

Failure to provide sufficient public transport access is criminal. With exception of a few services towards Calicut , there are hardly any buses between 10 PM and 6 PM , a period where a lot of international flights land.

Apparently the Kochi metro did a traffic study which forecasted limited traffic for an airport extension - in an airport which according to the CIAL's own website handle nearly 90 flight arrivals a day.

Neither of these are CIAL's fault, are they? Buses have to be run by KeSRTC which is bankrupt, and as for the CMRL study, I imagine a large chunk of CIAL's passengers travel to Thrissur or Kottayam side.

[BaCkSeAtDrIVeR]

Just got notification from Indigo app that starting 25 Jan 2019, there will be daily non stop flights from Kannur to HYD, Chennai, BLR and Hubli.

Wow to Indigo and Kannur.

[TKMCE]

I'm not too sure if I agree with you. CIAL has been facilitated worldwide for its social responsibility - for example, see:

The airport shut down for 15 days during the recent floods. Wonder who did the EIA.... Environmental Impact Assessment study

Neither of these are CIAL's fault, are they? Buses have to be run by KeSRTC which is bankrupt, and as for the CMRL study, I imagine a large chunk of CIAL's passengers travel to Thrissur or Kottayam side

This is also an airport which has a MAIN railway line running outside the airport boundary. In any other airport of this size elsewhere in the world, an airport rail station would have been commissioned immediately or soon after the airport opened. It has not happened in COK, except for a foundation stone laid some years back. A couple of years back a leading daily carried a small news item that the project had not progressed beyond the stone!

The classic example (and let us leave out BMTCs profitability or KSRTCs lack of it) of how an airport can be proactive in working with other stake holders in developing public transport access is Bangalore. The airport to city bus transportation has been a boon to many travellers but the taxi companies have not gone bankrupt either because of that. And I believe the Fly Bus connectivity to places like Mysore and Mangalore have only increased.

A Bangalore to Kochi air ticket is usually available even at short notice for under 2000 Rs. But then travelling onwards to your home town (thrissur/kottayam among others)is both a torture and expensive unless you depend on taxis or private vehicles. Apparently forcing most of its passengers to use private vehicles or taxis to/from the airport instead of also facilitating public transport apparently "doesn't harm the environment" and qualifies CIAL for getting global awards instead.

I think the real opportunity is in bringing entirely new set of domestic fliers who otherwise would have used other modes of transport

.

Precisely- and a very interesting example of that is the Kochi Guwahati non stop flight started by Indigo last month. A colleague of mine recently took that flight and apparently the flight was full mostly with workers from the north-east returning home on leave. According to my colleague a lot of them seemed to be first time travellers.

I am sure Kannur will follow suit. Now Indigo becomes the third airline to have firmed up schedules from Kannur. Air India Express and Go Air services are already operational.

[binand]

Originally Posted by TKMCE

The classic example (and let us leave out BMTCs profitability or KSRTCs lack of it) of how an airport can be proactive in working with other stake holders in developing public transport access is Bangalore. The airport to city bus transportation has been a boon to many travellers but the taxi companies have not gone bankrupt either because of that. And I believe the Fly Bus connectivity to places like Mysore and Mangalore have only increased.

What I don't understand is, what magic do you think KIAL did for this? Or in other words, what is CIAL not doing for you to be so antagonistic towards them? The Vayu Vajra services are run by BMTC. Flybus, by KaSRTC. Apart from providing the space for the airport bus stand (for which I'm certain they charge a bomb), what else did the airport company do? If you look at Hyderabad, the Pushpak services are run by TSRTC with the airport only alloting space for parking. KeSRTC from all accounts is not in a (financial) position to think of any such service, though they do run low-floor services to far flung towns from COK & CCJ within their current capabilities. As a matter of fact, a few weeks back Manorama had a "trip report" from the service from Kasargod to CCJ.

I used to take the Vayu Vajra for a few trips, but stopped because of BMTC's notorious last mile connectivity - the terminus is about 5 km from my home and for that I'd have to deal with Bangalore's notorious autowalas - often at 11PM+. Plus Vayu Vajra is dearer than Uber fare when travelling in groups of 3 or more.

As for rail connection - Bangalore is also waiting for it (railway line passing just outside the airport, but nearly a decade and yet no trains). At Chennai apart from the lowest payscale staff I don't think anyone actually ever used the Tirusulam station. Now they have the Metro though.

Originally Posted by TKMCE

I am sure Kannur will follow suit. Now Indigo becomes the third airline to have firmed up schedules from Kannur. Air India Express and Go Air services are already operational.

The elephant in the room is this: https://www.thenewsminute.com/articl...ds-study-88465. I hope the government doesn't just count on the middle-east traveller, but instead look at increasing the tourist potential of the area. Industry will be a bit tough to come by I imagine.

In other news, GoKL has floated yet another company - called TIAL - to bid for TRV when it is being privatized. https://english.mathrubhumi.com/news...port-1.3406841

[TKMCE]

Or in other words, what is CIAL not doing for you to be so antagonistic towards them?

Not every user of the airport is affluent. Not everybody travels on expense account reimbursements either.Do you use COK airport regularly? You speak about last mile connectivity to your home at Bangalore. We are speaking about choice for the people for the first mile connectivity to/from the COK airport to enable them to get to the nearest transportation hubs to reach their home towns from the airport.

Look at Delhi airport. The buses may not be allowed to run all the way to T3, but the airport does provide a shuttle bus to the nearest bus terminus in the highway. This is in addition to the Metro connectivity which makes DEL one of the best airports in India in terms of multi modal connectivity. While BMTC may not be convenient for your home, to my knowledge the connectivity is very good to Majestic/KBS/Bangalore City railway station which is where most people need to head to anyway for transportation beyond Bangalore.


Any airport which does not plan proper surface transport access in their master plans (and we are not just speaking of a parking stand for KeSRTC) and as a result people are left with no choice but to bring their own vehicles or depend on expensive private cab services, any environment award they get is of dubious value in my opinion. And soon after they got the much talked about award, the COK airport shut down for 15 days. Floods it may be - but Trivandrum and Calicut never shut down. The airport is a planning disaster in multiple ways.

And this year was not the first time either when the airport shut down during heavy rains.

https://scroll.in/article/890735/ker...ting-to-happen

https://indianexpress.com/article/in...isery-5310461/


Trivandrum does not have many of the accessibility issues Kochi faces because of the location. It is much closer to the city center and because of the proximity to the bypass road easily accessible to the Technopark and Kovalam areas as well. Being close to the down town area, there are no minimum fares for Ola or Uber either. It is a much better airport than Kochi in many ways despite its handicap of being an AAI airport. And you don't have to take out flight cancellation insurance every time it rains!


What the low cost airlines (Indigo/Spice/Air Asia India and particularly Air India Express ) have done is increase the frequency of travel as fares came down. In the case of Kannur, however some of the growth will come at the expense of Kozhkode particularly in International traffic.

[binand]

Originally Posted by TKMCE

Do you use COK airport regularly? You speak about last mile connectivity to your home at Bangalore. We are speaking about choice for the people for the first mile connectivity to/from the COK airport to enable them to get to the nearest transportation hubs to reach their home towns from the airport.

Yes, my home town is Calicut and I'm married to Ernakulam (took a peek in my Cleartrip history; 3 return trips to COK in 2018 with one more scheduled next week). But I am of the affluent class; with private car-based access to the airport from my home. I took a quick look at COK's website and came across this page:

http://cial.aero/contents/viewconten...&linkLvl1Id=17

Are these buses not operating from the airport? There seems to be services to Angamaly (nearest railhead), Vytilla (bus hub) and several services to nearby towns and cities. I think the reason for limited connectivity then is only KeSRTC's precarious position.

[TKMCE]

Originally Posted by binand

Are these buses not operating from the airport? There seems to be services to Angamaly (nearest railhead), Vytilla (bus hub) and several services to nearby towns and cities. I think the reason for limited connectivity then is only KeSRTC's precarious position.

Almost all of fhe Volvo buses do not touch any railway station including Aluva or Angamaly or Ernakulam Town or Ernakulam Junction. For an airport serving COK there is no service between 10 PM and 6 AM towards Aluva and Ernakulam , a period where a lot of international flights arrive.

Most of the down town buses are to Fort Kochi via Vytilla. They do set you down in front of the Aluva metro station. However the Metro does not allow you to carry heavy luggage.

The biggest beneficiaries of these Volvos (except the North Bound ones beyond Trichur )are the foreign backpackers who get to reach their accommodation in Fort Kochi for a pittance.


Please do try out the ordinary services to Aluva with your heavy luggage next time you visit Kochi Airport. You will certainly be centre of attention

And do not forget that Kochi airport does have a lot of shareholders who do not belong to the affluent class. They and other less affluent passengers are the ones who have made the north bound Airport Volvo services beyond Trichur one of the most profitable services of KeSRTC. The services were only introduced a few years back after repeated pleas from the general public.

Do leave your private car behind and take one of these buses occasionally and then and only then you will finally understand what I am talking about.

[Nalin Kumar]

Slightly off topic,

The airport started making news for a different reason..early December news says that customs is all set to prevent gold smuggling thru Kannur Airport as this could be a new transit point for the yellow metal.

http://www.newindianexpress.com/stat...t-1906048.html

And they made it to news...by seizing 2 kg gold in microwave oven...all within a month of opening the airport!!

I always had a little worry if an innocent person's car is chosen for the local transport of the smuggled good out of the airport...

https://english.mathrubhumi.com/news...ort--1.3426012

This also points to the initial difficulty airports will have in enforcing regulations and surveillance with the slack staff.