Kerala state has four operational international airports as of 2024, which makes it an Indian state with most international airports alongside Tamil Nadu. Kerala is also the only state with the closest proximity to multiple international/domestic airports in the country. All four international airports lie in very close proximity, which makes it easy for the people in Kerala to access air travel. The state also has four defence airports that are widely used by the Indian Armed Forces. Airports in Kerala provide domestic transport, support tourism in Kerala and also serve the high number of expatriates belonging to the state. The presently operating airports in the state of Kerala are as follows:
Trivandrum International Airport in Shankumugham in state capital of Thiruvananthapuram district Cochin International Airport in Nedumbassery in Ernakulam district Calicut International Airport in Karipur in Malappuram district Kannur International Airport in Mattanur in Kannur district.
The first airport was started in Quilon during the 1920s but ceased operation when an accident involving a training aircraft at the boundary of the aerodrome resulted in the death of the pilot and the trainee. There are two defence airports also situated in Kerala, each being operated by the Indian Navy and Indian Air Force. There is also a proposed Sabarimala Greenfield International Airport in Kottayam district.
Cities served ICAO IATA Airport name Category Ownership Passenger terminals Runway length (m) StatusImage Kannur, Wayanad, Madikeri (Karnataka) VOKN CNN Kannur International Airport InternationalPPP13,050 INA EzhimalaDefence Indian Navy Kannur Territory AerodromeDefence Indian Army Kochi, Thrissur, Palakkad VOCI COK Cochin International Airport InternationalPPP43,445 VOCC INS GarudaDefence Indian Navy Kollam Kollam Airport Domestic Travancore Kingdom Kottayam, Pathanamthitta Sabarimala International Greenfield Airport Future PPP Future Idukki Sathram Airstrip Airstrip NCC (India) Malappuram, Kozhikode, Palakkad VOCL CCJ Kozhikode International Airport International AAI12,860 Kozhikode Thiruvambady International Airport Future PPP Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Kanyakumari (Tamil Nadu) VOTV TRV Thiruvananthapuram International Airport International PPP (Owner: AAI Operator: ATIAL Adani Group)23,407 Southern Air CommandDefenceIndian Air Force Kasargod Bekal Airport Future Future Kozhikode, Malappuram Chelari Airport Domestic Birla Group
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