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Kozhikode Airport in Kerela is one of the few international airports of India.

Calicut Airport

Calicut Airport is one of the three international airports of Kerala, located at Karippur in Malappuram district, near Calicut (Kozhikode). It received the status of an international airport on February 2, 2006, which led to development in its infrastructure, for handling the operation of international flights from its terminal. Currently, it holds the distinction of being the 12th busiest airport in India, and 11th in cargo handling, in terms of its passenger traffic. Go through the following lines to check out information on Calicut International Airport.

Formation
Calicut airport gained its sanction after a long period of struggle, which began in 1977, under the leadership of freedom fighter late K.P. Kesava Menon. In the 1990s, Gulf Malayalis played an important part in the development of the airport - they collected funds for the purpose, when the Union Government said it did not have funds. This led to the inception of, the Malabar International Airport Development Society, which helped raise funds for the airport's development. Consequently, major developments of facilities, such as extension of runway from 6,000 feet to 9,000 feet to facilitate operation of big-bodied aircraft, were carried out, with loans from HUDCO.

Modernization
Airports Authority of India has played a vital role in the modernization of Calicut Airport. The facilities provided in the airport have been increased, which has paved the way for the steady increase in the passenger traffic from the airport as well as the operations of foreign airlines. A number of airlines, operating from the airport, have sought night parking facility. Currently, the airport offers 10 parking bays. International departure terminal started its operations on May 14, 2007. In the recent time, a spacious international arrival terminal has also been opened to passengers, which is as spacious as the departure terminal.

Airlines
Currently, five domestic airlines are operating from Calicut Airport. The national carriers Air India (with destination to Mumbai, Trivandrum, Chennai), Air India Express (with destination to Cochin, Mangalore, Mumbai, Trivandrum), and Indian Airlines (flying to Chennai, Coimbatore, Delhi, Mumbai) operate from this airport. The private carriers, operating from this airport, are JetLite (Mumbai) and Kingfisher Airlines (to Bangalore, Chennai, Cochin, Goa, Mangalore, Trivandrum).

The international airlines, operating from Calicut Airport, are Air Arabia (to Sharjah), Air India (destined to Damam, Riyadh, Jeddah), Air India Express (to Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Bahrain, Doha, Dubai, Kuwait, Muscat, Salalah, Sharjah), Bahrain Air (Bahrain), Emirates Airline (to Dubai), Etihad Airways (Abu Dhabi), Indian Airlines (Bahrain, Doha, Dubai, Kuwait, Muscat, Sharjah), Oman Air (Muscat), Qatar Airways (Doha) and Saudi Arabian Airlines (Jeddah, Riyadh).

Passenger Facilities
Contact Details
Calicut International Airport,
Calicut Airport.P.O.
Kerala-673647
Phone :91-483-2712630
Fax :91-483-2711406

Last Updated on 1st August, 2009