Cochin International Airport announces a winter schedule with 1,576 weekly flights

Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) has announced its winter schedule which will be in effect from October 27 to March 29, 2025. A total of 1576 weekly flights will mark the peak against 1480 flights for the ongoing Summer 2024 schedule.

The summer schedule will include 28 airlines, including 26 international airlines operating 336 weekly flights to international destinations, a press release said.

Air India Express will top the list with 51 weekly departures to international destinations, while IndiGo will have 41 weekly departures. Etihad – 28, Air Arabia Abu Dhabi – 28, Air Asia – 18, Air India – 17, Air Arabia, Akasa, Emirates, Oman Air, Singapore Airlines – all 14, are other prominent airlines that operate frequent weekly flights.

Under the new winter schedule, the total number of weekly flights to the UAE alone will reach 134. There will be 67 weekly flights to Abu Dhabi alone, while Dubai comes in second with 46 flights from Kochi. Etihad will operate a further seven weekly flights to Abu Dhabi, while VietJet is ready to operate daily flights to Vietnam. Thai Airways increases frequency from 3 to 5 weekly premium flights to Suvarnabhumi Airport, Bangkok. This will operate 15 weekly flights from Kochi to Bangkok.

In terms of domestic sector, the weekly flight status in CIAL’s winter schedule for 2024 includes 112 flights to Bangalore, 75 to Mumbai, 63 to Delhi, 61 to Chennai, 52 to Hyderabad, 15 flights to Agatti, 14 to Ahmedabad and Kolkata, 13 to Pune, 7 each to Calicut, Goa, Kannur and Thiruvananthapuram and 5 to Salem.

Air India Express will operate an additional 10 flights per week to Bangalore, 7 flights per week to Chennai, 6 to Pune and 5 weekly flights to Hyderabad. Akasa Air will operate additional daily flights to Ahmedabad. This results in a total of 788 arrivals and 788 departures per week, covering both international and domestic services.

CIAL entered the 1000 crore club in the financial year 2023-’24 and became the only airport in Kerala to facilitate 10 million passengers in both a calendar year and a financial year.

CIAL Managing Director S. Suhas said the company is trying hard to reinvent itself to meet the growing demand in the Indian aviation sector. Management is focusing on upgrading infrastructure to meet rising passenger numbers and implementing advanced technologies at every passenger touch point to enhance the travel experience. “CIAL is developing innovative strategies to manage this expansion and is mapping new flight routes for the future, with the vision to transform Kochi into a central hub for air travel in South India,” he added.