Kerala government plans to revive international airline project

KOCHI: The Kerala government is planning to revive its project to launch an international airline. The state has approached the Union Government for securing sanction for the project.

The airline would provide connectivity to the Gulf sector where close to 2 million people from the state are working. The plan to revive the proposal is the result of Union Civil Aviation ministry’s reported move to liberalise licensing norms to new international airlines.

The state government had floated a company called Air Kerala Limited in 2006 for operating in international routes. But the project did not take off due to the stringent conditions for awarding licence for international operations.

The Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said that he has written to the Union minister for civil aviation Ashok Gajapati Raju asking for a waiver of the conditions like five year domestic service/plus a fleet of 20 airlines to get a licence for flying in the international sector.

The Kerala CM was replying to the "calling attention" motion by Abdurrahman Randathani, chairman of the House panel on Diaspora. Randathani said air fares had gone up substantially after the start of the vacation season.

Air Kerala was floated as a subsidiary of Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL). The state, CIAL and other PSUs will hold 26 per cent of the company.

NRIs had evinced interest in the project. Oommen Chandy said that Air Kerala planned to start operations with 5 aircraft.

Recent reports said that the norms like five-year lock in period and a fleet of 20 aircraft would be eased for airlines to launch international operations.