File Photo: Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy
The foundation stone for the 80,000 square metre new terminal building of the under construction Kannur International Airport was laid on Saturday by Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy at Mattanur.
The construction work at the airport is in progress and the first aircraft is expected to touch down by December 2015, Mr Chandy said.
Once the airport becomes operational, it would lead to development of Kannur as a "handloom hub" of the country, he said.
He also said that it has been decided to have a 3,400 metre runway instead of the 3,050 metre runway planned earlier.
Kerala minister for Ports, K Babu said that the Kannur Airport, which is the fourth International airport in the state, would be the most modern with all facilities. The other three airports in Kerala are at Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and Karippur International Airport in Malappuram District.