Cochin International Airport
Cochin International Airport, popularly known as Kochi International Airport or Nedumbassery Airport, is an international airport serving the city of Kochi, Kerala, in southwestern India. It is located at Nedumbassery, about northeast of the city center. The airport is the first of its kind to be developed under a public-private partnership model in India. This project was funded by nearly 10,000 non-resident Indians from 32 countries. It is the busiest and largest airport in the state of Kerala., the airport caters to more than 63% of the total air passenger traffic in Kerala. It is the fifth-busiest airport in India in terms of international traffic, and the eighth-busiest overall.
In fiscal year 2024–25, the airport handled more than 11 million passengers with a total of 67,469 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 and one cargo 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 Champion of the Earth award in 2018, the highest environmental honour instituted by the United Nations. The airport was awarded The Best Airport in Asia-Pacific in 2020 by Airports Council International.
Flights previously operated to London’s Gatwick and Heathrow airports from the airport by Air India. As of October 2025, these flights remain suspended.
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. 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.
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. 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 unstinted 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 1
The airport had of floor space at its inauguration. CIAL envisioned four phases of expansion over 20 years, the third phase of which was completed in 2009. The original airport terminal was envisioned to handle just 100 passengers at a time. However, by 2001, the international passenger traffic was growing, making it necessary to redevelop the terminal.In 2002, the floor area for the international operations of the original building rose due to the completion of a separate domestic terminal, shifting all domestic operations there.
Phase 2
With a rising number of airlines operating at the airport, CIAL decided to construct an exclusive terminal for domestic operations, namely Terminal 2, making the international one Terminal 1, increasing the floor space for international operations by.Phase 3
Work on the third phase was intended to accommodate 5 million passenger movements annually and was started in 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. However, the expansion plans were changed after the new UDF government took over the administration of the state in May 2011.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 will 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 fully covered alighting and boarding area.
The current domestic terminal would be converted into an "Executive Pavilion" and would handle VIP and private chartered flights and jets. The current international terminal once converted into a domestic terminal, will have 5 aerobridges and 10 boarding gates, apart from increased parking bays.
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, 7 aerobridges and a conveyor belt system to transfer baggage from 12 flights at a time. It is also equipped with 6 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.