List of airports in Kerala explained

Kerala state has four operational international airports as of 2024, which makes it an Indian state with most international airports alongside Tamil Nadu.^[1] Kerala is also the only state with the closest proximity to multiple international/domestic airports in the country. All four international airports lie in very close proximity, which makes it easy for the people in Kerala to access air travel. The state also has four defence airports that are widely used by the Indian Armed Forces. Airports in Kerala^[2] provide domestic transport, support tourism in Kerala and also serve the high number of expatriates belonging to the state. The presently operating airports in the state of Kerala are as follows:

• Trivandrum International Airport in Shankumugham in state capital of Thiruvananthapuram district
• Cochin International Airport in Nedumbassery in Ernakulam district
• Calicut International Airport in Karipur in Malappuram district
• Kannur International Airport in Mattanur in Kannur district
• Sabarimala Greenfield International Airport in Cheruvally in the borders of Kottayam and Pathanamthitta districts (Pre-construction stage)

The first airport was started in Quilon during the 1920s but ceased operation when an accident involving a training aircraft at the boundary of the aerodrome resulted in the death of the pilot and the trainee.^[3] There are two defence airports also situated in Kerala, each being operated by the Indian Navy and Indian Air Force.

Cities served	ICAO	IATA	Airport name	Category	Ownership	Passenger terminals	Runway length (m)	Status	Image
Kannur, Wayanad, Madikeri (Karnataka)	VOKN	CNN	Kannur International Airport	International	PPP	1	3,050	Operational
			INA Ezhimala	Defence	Indian Navy			Operational
			Kannur Territory Aerodrome	Defence	Indian Army			Operational
Kochi, Thrissur	VOCI	COK	Cochin International Airport	International	PPP	4	3,445	Operational
	VOCC		INS Garuda	Defence	Indian Navy			Operational
Kollam			Kollam Airport	Domestic	Travancore Kingdom			Closed^[4] ^[5]
Kottayam,Pathanamthitta			Sabarimala International Greenfield Airport	Future	PPP			Future
Idukki				Airstrip	NCC (India)			Operational
Malappuram,Kozhikode,Palakkad	VOCL	CCJ	Kozhikode International Airport	International	AAI	1	2,860	Operational
Kozhikode			Thiruvambady International Airport	Future	PPP
Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Kanyakumari (Tamil Nadu)	VOTV	TRV	Thiruvananthapuram International Airport	International	PPP (Owner: AAI Operator: ATIAL Adani Group)	2	3,407	Operational
			Southern Air Command	Defence	Indian Air Force			Operational
Kasargod			Bekal Airport	Future				Future
Kozhikode, Malappuram			Chelari Airport^[6] ^[7] ^[8]	Domestic	Birla Group			Closed

References

• Book: Chandran, VP. Mathrubhumi Yearbook Plus - 2019. P. V. Chandran, Managing Editor, Mathrubhumi Printing & Publishing Company Limited, Kozhikode. 2018. Kozhikode. Malayalam .

Notes and References

1. Web site: Kerala set to get a fourth international airport in Kannur . Hindustan Times . 2015-12-29 . 2017-04-11.
2. Web site: Airports in Kerala . Iris Holidays . 2019-11-29 . 2019-12-11.
3. Web site: Aviation school proposal evokes mixed response . The Hindu . 2009-06-08 . 2017-04-11.
4. Web site: Runway: Team visits Asramam Maidan . https://web.archive.org/web/20141107020711/http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/article105423.ece . dead . 7 November 2014 . TNIE . 2017-04-11.
5. Web site: 'Asramam Maidan not suitable for airport' . https://web.archive.org/web/20140727055933/http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/thiruvananthapuram/article107040.ece . dead . 27 July 2014 . TNIE . 2017-04-11.
6. Web site: കരിപ്പൂരിനുമുമ്പ് യന്ത്രപക്ഷികളിറങ്ങിയ ചേളാരി; ചേളാരിയിലെ വിമാനത്താവളവും 1969 ലെ അപകടവും . 8 August 2020 .
7. Web site: 1969ലും വിമാനം തകർന്നു; ചേളാരി 'വിമാനത്താവളത്തിൽ'... | Madhyamam . 8 August 2020 .
8. Web site: ചേളാരി 'വിമാന താവളം'; പറന്നിറങ്ങിയ ചരിത്ര നാൾവഴികൾ ഇതാണ് . 14 August 2024 .