KOCHI — The Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL), which runs India’s first corporate airport promoted by its expatriate workers, is all set to clinch a deal to build Colombo’s second international airport. CIAL Managing Director S. Bharath and his team recently visited the airport’s site some 15 km away from Hambanota, a fast developing city in the southern province of Sri Lanka, and held discussions with President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
“The president said he was highly impressed by our capabilities as an airport developer and consultant,” Bharath said. “A Sri Lankan delegation will now make a follow up visit to India to take the discussions forward,” Bharath said.
The Lankan president, who flew down to the airport in 2005 en route to Sri Krishna temple in Guruvayur, was impressed by the world-class facilities built at a cost of just 2.83 billion rupees with the investment mainly from over 10,000 Indian overseas workers in 30 countries and the state government. He then expressed his willingness to set up a similar airport in his country. A year later, Bharath took over from V.J. Kurian, the founder MD of the airport, and pursued the proposal through T.K.A. Nair, the principal secretary to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon, both Malayalis.
President Rajapaksa recently invited the seven-member CIAL team, including experts in various aspects of airport building for a detailed presentation and site inspection.
“It was at the behest of Nair and Menon the Indian High Commission in Colombo took keen interest and made all arrangements for talks. We hope to sign a deal soon,” he said.
The team also met the president’s brother and Aviation Minister Chamal Rajapakse, Central Bank Governor Nivard Cabraal and Chandima Rasaputra, the chairman of the Airport Authority, which runs Sri Lanka’s only international airport.
Situated some 300 km away from Colombo, Hambanota is the political constituency of the president where the island nation is also developing a port with Chinese aid. “We were taken in a military aircraft from one of its bases to the airport site. Senior officials of the Civil Aviation Ministry and the Airport Authority also accompanied us,” Bharath said.
He made a presentation to the president on the CIAL’s aerotropolis or airport city that is planned to make the Cochin airport self-sustainable. “Our talks with the president were highly productive and we hope to come up with a concrete proposal after the next round of talks,” he added.
Cochin airport is now India’s fourth largest in terms of international traffic. It also boasts of the highest non-aviation revenue, mainly from its duty-free shops.
As part of its aerotropolis, which is to cost 35 billion rupees, the CIAL has lined up 18 projects aimed at generating non-aeronautical revenue, including a four million square feet IT park, an aviation academy, a maintenance and hangar unit, a super-specialty hospital, hotels, schools, an amusement park, a cultural village and a golf course. These projects will be established in 450 acres of excess land in its possession at the airport’s premises.