This international airport terminal in Kerala will be under renovation soon

Kochi: Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) plans to convert Terminal-2, which is currently not in use now after the domestic operations were moved to Terminal 1 since 2019, into three passenger utilities for business jets, VVIPs and short-stay passengers.

S Suhas, CIAL Managing Director, said that the director board, chaired by Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, had given in-principle consent for the conversion plan.

Conversion of Terminal 2 activities will begin next month. ‘We are lining up several short-term and long-term revenue-generating projects. Civil work on the five-star hotel project has begun. Another ambitious idea would be to convert Terminal 2 to tap into potential revenues. We plan to develop a Business Jet terminal, a VVIP safe house and a transit hotel at the sprawling Terminal 2, which stands unused today,’ Mr. Suhas said.

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Following the commissioning of the new terminal, the international flight operations were moved from T1 to T3. After undergoing renovations, Terminal 1 has been used for domestic operations since 2019. Terminal 2, with a built-up area of 100,000 square feet, had previously been used for domestic operations before it was designated for expansion.

Following a meeting convened by the Managing Director, the blueprint has been finalized, which envisions the interior being remodeled cost-effectively into three blocks. 30 percent of the built-up area will be used for block one, which will be converted into an exclusive business jet terminal with three lounges. The terminal will accommodate both international and domestic business jets, according to the release. There will be designated areas for customs, immigration and security holding operations.

In Block-2, there will be a VVIP safe house with an area of 10,000 square feet. ‘This will ensure hassle-free travel for VVIP passengers,’ the release asserted. The area of Block-3 will be 60,000 square feet.

The CIAL plans to construct 50 budget rooms for passengers staying for a short time at the airport. The release said that the plan was to apply a dynamic tariff concept that calculates rent based on an hourly basis. CIAL is planning several value addition projects which will be completed by 2022 so that the non-aero component of revenue can increase from 40 percent to 60 percent, it said.