Trivandrum International Airport

Infobox Airport
name = Trivandrum International Airport
nativename-a = തിരുവനന്തപുരം വിമാനത്താവളം

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IATA = TRV
ICAO = VOTV
type = Public
owner =
operator = Airports Authority of India
city-served =
location = Thiruvananthapuram
elevation-f = 13
elevation-m = 4
coordinates = coord|08|28|56|N|76|55|12|E|type:airport|display=inline
website =
r1-number = 14/32
r1-length-f = 11,148
r1-length-m = 3,398
r1-surface = Asphalt
footnotes =

Trivandrum International Airport [Official airport name as per [http://www.aai.aero/allAirports/thiru_general.jsp Airports Authority of India] ] airport codes|TRV|VOTV is the first international airport of Kerala, India. It is now the second busiest airport in Kerala [ [http://www.airportsindia.org.in/traffic_news/april2k6_annex3.jsp Traffic statistics] ] . It is located 6km from city centre Thiruvananthapuram (formerly known as Trivandrum) and 16km from world renowned Kovalam beach.

The airport was established in 1932 as part of the Kerala Flying Club (under the initiative of Colonel Goda Varma Raja). International Operations (by Air India) to the cities in the Middle East like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Muscat, Doha , Kuwait Bahrain and Dahran during the latter half of the 1970's & early 80s. Very soon, Air Lanka & Air Male joined the race. In January 1, 1991 it was upgraded to an International Airport, making it the first such airport in India outside the metropolitan cities.

Trivandrum International Airport has direct flights to many international cities like Kuwait,Dubai Singapore, Male, Colombo, Sharjah, Muscat, Bahrain, Qatar, Jeddah and Abudhabi. It is linked with Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Goa and Bangalore by domestic flights. The airport is a convenient point for hopping onto neighbouring SAARC countries like Srilanka and Maldives as well as to the Middle East and South East Asian countries.

Expansion Plans

Work on a new third terminal to cater for the increasing load of international passengers is commenced at 2006.Fact|date=March 2007 Decks have been cleared for the construction of a world-class terminal for the Trivandrum international airport with the Union Government giving its nod for the Rs.258-crore airport modernisation project.Fact|date=March 2007

The terminal, being constructed by Airports Authority of India (AAI) on the city side, will give a big impetus to the development of the city, the IT sector and the tourism industry in the southern districts. The three-storeyed building with an area of 20,000 sq. metres, designed by a consortium of three companies, is of tubular design.Fact|date=March 2007 All modern facilities such as escalators, elevators and aerobridges will be provided. The terminal will be able to handle the passengers of two AB-300s and one Boeing 747 aircraft at a time.Fact|date=March 2007

To enable the passengers to check in at any counter, a Common Users Terminal Equipment (CUTE) will be installed.Fact|date=March 2007 X-ray machines will be attached to the side of the conveyor belts for faster clearance of baggage. The check-in area will have a floor area of 950 sq. metres and the arrival area 570 sq. metres.Fact|date=March 2007 The annual handling capacity of the terminal will be 13.3 lakh. The parking lot will be able to accommodate 575 cars, as per the approved plan. The entrance to the terminal will be from the Chaka-Eenchakkal road. A bridge will be built across the Parvathy Puthanar canal to link the proposed new terminal to the Kazhakuttam-Inchivila NH 47. bypass. [http://www.thehindu.com/2006/08/04/stories/2006080423940300.htm The Hindu]

Airlines and destinations

Domestic

*Air India (Calicut, Chennai, Cochin, Mumbai)
**Air India Express (Calicut, Cochin, Mumbai)
**Indian Airlines (Chennai, Cochin, Delhi, Mumbai, Trichy)
*Jet Airways (Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai)
*Kingfisher Airlines (Bangalore, Calicut, Chennai, Cochin, Goa, Mangalore)
*Paramount Airways (Ahmedabad,Chennai)

International

*Air Arabia (Sharjah)
*Air India (Dammam, Jeddah, Kuwait, Riyadh)
**Air India Express (Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai, Muscat, Sharjah)
**Indian Airlines (Malé, Sharjah)
*Emirates (Dubai)
*Etihad Airways (Abu Dhabi)
*First Choice Airways (London-Gatwick) [seasonal]
*Gulf Air (Bahrain)
*Jet Airways (Muscat)
*Kuwait Airways (Kuwait)
*Island Aviation Services (Malé)
*Monarch Airlines (London-Gatwick) [seasonal]
*MyTravel Airways (London-Gatwick) [seasonal]
*Oman Air (Muscat)
*Qatar Airways (Doha)
*SilkAir (Singapore)
*Srilankan Airlines (Colombo)
*Thomas Cook Airlines (London-Gatwick) [seasonal]

Weekly flight numbers

References

External links

* [http://www.aai.aero/allAirports/thiru_general.jsp Trivandrum International Airport] at Airports Authority of India web site
* [http://www.flightstats.com/go/Airport/airportDetails.do?airportCode=TRV Check live flight schedule]
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* [http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=531013495&size=m Runway image] from flickr
* [http://www.theindiastreet.com/2008/02/in-pictures-trivandrum-international.html Pictures of the new Trivandrum International Terminal]