Cochin International Airport , also known as Kochi International Airport, is an international airport serving the city and metropolitan area of Kochi, Kerala, India. Located at Nedumbassery within the Ernakulam district, about northeast of the city centre, it is the busiest and largest airport in Kerala, catering to more than 63% of the total air passenger traffic in Kerala as of 2025. It is the fifth-busiest airport in India in terms of international traffic, and the eighth-busiest overall.
In fiscal year 2025–26, the airport handled more than 11 million passengers with a total of 73,134 aircraft movements. As of 2025, the airport is served by over 25 airline companies, carrying passengers to over 30 international destinations and over 25 domestic destinations. The airport operates three passenger terminals, one cargo terminal, and one business terminal, with a total area of over .
In 2015, the airport became the world's first fully solar powered airport with the inauguration of a dedicated solar plant. For this entrepreneurial vision, the airport won the coveted Champions of the Earth award in 2018, the highest environmental honour instituted by the United Nations. The airport is also the first of its kind to be developed under a public–private partnership (PPP) model in India, having been funded by nearly 10,000 non-resident Indians from 32 countries. The airport was named "Best Airport in Asia-Pacific" in 2020 (5 to 15 million passengers per year) by Airports Council International.
History Cochin airport began as an airstrip on Willingdon Island, built in 1936 by the Kingdom of Cochin, intended for transporting officials involved in the development of the Cochin Port. The Kingdom of Cochin allowed the British, who ruled India at the time, to convert the airstrip into a military airport for use by the Indian Navy during World War II. The Royal Navy chose it as a strategic site for their headquarters in Southern India and as an air station cum landing craft and seaplane base. The military facility hosted naval fighter planes and was intended to thwart possible Japanese air raids.The origin of INS Venduruthy can be traced to 31 August 1939, when a small naval contingent was positioned in Kochi under Royal Indian Navy Captain L. Wadeson, who assumed the duties of Naval Officer-in-Charge, Cochin. http://www.hindu.com/2010/07/02/stories/2010070250590200.htm A small naval unit set up operations just two days before the outbreak of World War II.
After India achieved dominion status and the merger of the Kingdom of Cochin with India, the Indian Navy operated the airport, INS Garuda, though it permitted civilian aircraft to use the facility. The Gulf economic boom of the 1980s made it necessary to develop international connections to Kochi in the interests of expatriates working in the Middle East.
Flights previously operated to London's Gatwick and Heathrow airports from the airport by Air India, but as of October 2025 these flights remain suspended. Airlines such as British Airways have been reported to be prospective carriers in resuming the Kochi-London route, though they have yet to materialise services.
Construction
The original proposal for the airport outlined an estimated cost of and an expected date of commission in 1997. Approval was granted in May 1993. The funding was envisaged to be from interest-free loans from non-resident Indians working abroad, donations from industrial undertakings, exporters, cooperative societies and loans from the state government. A body called the Cochin International Airport Society, under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister of Kerala K. Karunakaran, was registered in July 1993 to execute the project. To better fund mobilisation, as well as an administrative convenience, a public limited company under the name Cochin International Airport Ltd. (CIAL) was registered in March 1994 with an authorised capital of .
In 1996, E. K. Nayanar took over as chairman of the CIAL project. The construction picked up momentum during this period and Nayanar ensured that the airport project received special attention from the State Government and gave his unstinting support to CIAL. By 1997, substantial land was taken into CIAL possession through negotiated settlements. A total of of land was acquired for the construction of the airport. Approximately 2,300 landowners and 872 families were resettled under a rehabilitation package. Major electric lines and an irrigation canal had to be diverted. The facility was formally inaugurated by the then President of India, K. R. Narayanan on 25 May 1999 and the first commercial service began on 10 June 1999. The operations from the old naval airport were moved to CIAL on 1 July 1999.
Expansion
Phase 3 Work on the third phase was intended to accommodate 5 million passenger movements annually and was started in 2007.Travel & Tourism Newsletter, hotels, airlines, destination – January 2007 The third phase involved the commissioning of a central block, connecting the domestic and international terminals and enlarging the airside area to accommodate more gates and waiting areas along with increased shopping areas. This increased the built-up area by another . The airside area of the international arrivals and departures blocks were integrated and glass walls were installed to allow for more natural light. The runway was re-surfaced in 2008. The number of parking areas was increased from 15 to 24, including three dedicated for cargo airlines. The third phase also completed the expansion of the cargo village and a second aircraft taxiway to the MRO facility.
Phase 4 The fourth phase of expansion was originally planned to upgrade the domestic terminal, which has remained untouched in the past three phases.
As per the revised plans, the international terminal is to face a major renovation before being converted completely into a domestic terminal, while a new state-of-the-art international terminal is coming up. As per the new plans announced by the board of directors in September 2011, the new international terminal would come up on the eastern side of the existing structure. The built-up space of the new terminal would be having segregated departures and arrivals at different levels. The new terminal with an elevation featuring Kerala temple architecture will have all the latest features of international standards. Construction major Larsen & Toubro is building the facility, which is expected to be ready within 30 months. The two-level terminal will have provisions for 112 check-in counters, with in-line baggage screening facilities, 100 immigration counters, of duty-free shops at departure and arrival lounges, 19 boarding gates, 15 aerobridges, six baggage conveyor belts and a fully covered alighting and boarding area.
Management Cochin International Airport is the first in India to be built by a public-private partnership and is owned by a public limited company called Cochin International Airport Limited, better known as CIAL, created by the Government of Kerala in 1994. The Government of Kerala holds a 33.36% stake, making it the single largest investor in the project. Indian government companies like Air India, BPCL and AAI hold an 8.74% stake, while foreign companies like Abu Dhabi based Lulu Group International, the Oman-based Galfar Group, UAE based Majeed Bukatara Trading holds a 5.42% stake. Indian companies hold 8.57% stake, while scheduled commercial banks like Federal Bank, SBI and Canara Bank hold 5.91%. The remaining 38.03% stake is held by more than 10,000 personal investors from 29 countries, mostly non-resident Indians.
The company has decided to go for a public offering and give 10 million shares to HUDCO as part of a debt settlement, which would to lead HUDCO having a 3.37% stake in the company and a reduction of the stake of other holders.
The chief minister of Kerala is the ex-officio chairman of CIAL.
Terminals
Cochin International Airport has three main terminals: two domestic and one international. There is also a cargo terminal.
Terminal 1 (domestic) Terminal 1 was formerly the international terminal until the operations were shifted to the new international Terminal 3. The terminal underwent a massive upgrade and renovation after that, which took its total handling capacity to 4,000 passengers per hour which is 5 times the previous capacity. The renovated Terminal 1 was opened to travellers on 12 December 2018.
With a total built-up area of , Terminal 1 has 56 check-in counters, seven aerobridges and a conveyor belt system to transfer baggage from 12 flights at a time. It is also equipped with six reserve lounges, an art area, a food court, an executive lounge, and a shopping area. The terminal has a solar carport facility that can generate 2.4 MW of power and can house 1,400 cars. Together with the solar carport at the International Terminal 3, it can generate 5.1 MW of power which is the largest carport in the world.
Terminal 2 (executive) Terminal 2 has an area of and is designed to handle up to 400 passengers at peak times. The departure hall has 26 common use terminal equipment (CUTE) enabled check-in counters, including six premium check-in counters, and four self-check-in counters. It has six security gates and a common waiting area that can accommodate 400 passengers at a time. There is also a family lounge and a premium lounge for business class passengers and a food court is housed in the waiting area, while a restaurant operates in entry lobby. There are four remote gates facility available for domestic passengers. The arrivals hall has two baggage carousels.
Terminal 3 (international) The new international Terminal 3 was opened to travellers in March 2017. The theme of the terminal is inspired by Thrissur Pooram and is built in the traditional Kerala architecture style. 15 life-size fibre elephants wearing traditional costumes welcome the travellers at the departure facility area. The terminal has five entry gates, 84 check-in counters and 80 immigration counters. It is equipped with 10 escalators, 21 elevators, and three moving walkways. The terminal has a solar carport facility with a capacity of generating 2.7 MW power, and can provide a parking facility for 1,400 cars. Along with the solar carport at the domestic Terminal 1, it is the largest solar carport in the world, with a total capacity of 5.1 MW of power and a parking facility for 2,800 cars.
With a total area of more than , the terminal is built over four levels. The ground level handles arrivals. With a total ground area of around , it has 10 customs counters, three bank counters, a shopping complex for the passengers and the general public, a VIP lounge, arrival duty-free shops and a baggage claim area. The second level (5.5 metres above ground level) also handles arrivals and is equipped with 30 immigration counters, 10 e-T-Visa counters, five health check counters, and two moving walkways. The third level (10.5 metres above ground level) is the departure facility area. It has a check-in area, three check-in islands having a total of 84 counters, 40 emigration counters, an departure duty-free shop, three VIP reserved lounges, airline offices, two prayer rooms, and a moving walkway. The fourth level (15.5 metres above ground level) is the departure security hold area. With an area of more than , it has a food court, restaurant, three airline executive lounges, smoking lounge, bar and reclining area.
With the commissioning of Terminal 3, Cochin International Airport became India's 4th largest airport after Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata, with a total built up area of more than for commercial operations.
Cargo centre