Kochi: Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) has announced the winter schedule for the International and domestic sectors, which will be effective from 30th October 2022 to 25th March 2023. With this schedule becoming effective, CIAL will facilitate a total of 1,202 weekly air traffic movements as against 1,160 in the ongoing summer schedule.
The winter schedule indicates that airport operator is bracing for a strong comeback after the pandemic gap. The schedule will see 26 airlines operating to destinations abroad among which 22 are International carriers operating 271 weekly departures. Air India Express tops the list with 44 weekly departures to International destinations whereas Indigo will have 42 domestic departure operations weekly.
AIR ARABIA-14, AIR ARABIA ABU DHABI-7, AIR INDIA-10, AIRASIA BERHAD-17, EMIRATES AIR-14, ETIHAD AIR-7, FLY DUBAI-3, GULF AIR-7, JAZEERA AIR-5, KUWAIT AIR-9, MALINDO AIR-7, MALAYSIAN AIRLINES-7, OMAN AIR-14, QATAR AIR-11, SAUDI ARABIAN-14, SINGAPORE AIRLINES-14, SPICEJET-7, SRI LANKAN-10, THAI AIR ASIA-5, and other prominent carriers are operating frequent weekly services.
There will be 44 weekly departures to Dubai Alone. Whereas Abu Dhabi and Muscat come second with 30 operations from Kochi. Weekly services to Kaula Lumpur have increased to 25. CIAL schedules 327 domestic operations for the winter season offering connectivity with 13 cities in the country which includes 104 weekly flights to Banglore,56 weekly flights to Delhi, 42 to Mumbai, 24 to Hyderabad, 52 to Chennai, and 10 to Pune. INDIGO- 163, AIR INDIA-28, AIR ASIA-56, AKASA AIR-28, ALLIANCE AIR-21, GO AIR -14, SPICEJET-3, VISTARA- 14. There will be daily flights to Agathi, Ahmedabad, Goa, Kannur, Kolkata and Thiruvananthapuram.
Owing to the measures implemented for ensuring smooth connectivity during the post-pandemic era, CIAL registered a growth of 92.66% in passenger volume and 60.06% in air traffic movement FY 2021-22 compared to the previous fiscal. The period also witnessed CIAL improving its position as the third busiest airport in the country in terms of international traffic.