The long -waiting Dream of the Wayanad district at the airport has to fly despite the renewed efforts of the state government after land landslide in 2024. The inability to identify the appropriate section of the land, at least 1,800 meters in length, in the hilly neighborhood remains one of the main obstacles to the authorities.
Demand for Feeder Airport in Wayanad began more than ten years ago, as it is expected to alleviate travel suffering and increase the development and tourism in the district. The Chamber of Commerce in Malabar has triggered the idea that the state and central government representatives performed in 2019. “We pointed out several places, but all were inappropriate for this purpose,” said CE Chakkunni, President of the Malabar Council.
The team led by Biju Prabhakar, the then Secretary of Transport, carried out the inspection of the location in Elstone Estate in Kalpetta in July 2023, a year before the landslides hit Chooralmal and Mundakkai. However, the estate was found unsuitable for the airport due to the surrounding hills.
Later, in August 2024, the Ministry decided to conduct a feasibility study for the airway and entrusted the company Kerala Rail Development Corporation (K-Rail) by carrying out procedures of the selection procedure. However, there was no further progress in this respect.
Although there is enough uninhabited land in the district, finding a space where hills do not affect air traffic, it is a real challenge in front of the authorities. Given that the large segment of the Wayanad population is agrarian, unpeeled fields have been excluded from the project, so in the district have reserve forests and shrines of wild animals.
Another main obstacle to the project is Wayanad’s proximity to international airports in Mattannur and Karipur. According to DGCA rules, the airport must be at a certain distance from the nearest airport. Therefore, the localization of the airport anywhere near Mananthavada was abandoned, as it would be too close to the International Kannur Airport in Mattannur.
Despite the failures of the state government approved for a study of 1.17 CRORES 1.17 GBP and other CRORES 4.51 GBP to prepare a detailed report on the project (DPR) in state budgets 2023 and 2024. Wayanada. Several strips of soil are still being considered for the project, including the Karaapuzha reservoir.
However, there were no clear answers from the relevant project progress. V. Ajith Kumar, CEO of K-Rail, refused to comment on this matter because it falls under the powers of the Ministry of Transport.
Published – 31 May 2025 20:34
