Kerala: Thiruvananthapuram International Airport airport halts flights for 5 hours to make way for procession

The Thiruvananthapuram International Airport on Saturday suspended flight services for five hours to to accommodate the 'Alpassi Arattu' procession from the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, according to airport authorities. Services resumed around 9 pm after the procession returned to the temple.

Sree Moolam Tirunal Rama Varma, head of the former Travancore royal family, led the procession dressed in traditional attire, with a green silk cap, an emerald necklace, and a ceremonial sword. The procession, which included male members of the royal family, a large number of devotees, and five decorated elephants, departed from the temple around 5 pm, moving towards Shankumugham Beach across the airport's tarmac.

Upon entering the airport premises, the deities' idols—Padmanabha Swamy, Narasima Moorthy, and Krishna Swami—were placed at the "arattu mandapam" near the runway before proceeding to the beach for the rituals.


Following a sea dip off Shankumugham Beach, the idols were returned to the temple in a torch-lit procession, marking the end of the festival. Airport operations resumed after the tarmac was cleared and deemed safe.

For decades, the airport has suspended operations twice yearly to allow the centuries-old procession to pass through the runway, a tradition continued since the airport's establishment in 1932. The Travancore King Sree Chithira Thirunal originally stipulated that the airport be closed for two days each year to honor the shrine’s deity. The practice has continued under the current airport management, with a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) issued biannually for the Alpassi festival in October-November and the Painkuni festival in March-April.

With PTI Inputs