Latest news with #CIAL
New Indian Express
4 days ago
- Business
- New Indian Express
Onam rush: Early birds to benefit as fares remain relatively less
KOCHI: As the Onam season approaches, Malayalis based in major cities like Bengaluru and Chennai are navigating a complex travel landscape. This year, unlike in last, early planners are reaping the benefits of lower fares on flights and private buses, though travel experts warn this temporary relief may not last as the festival nears. The perennial struggle for long-distance train tickets, however, remains a persistent and unresolved issue. According to industry insiders, the current ticket fares for both air and road transport are notably more affordable than last year's holiday surge pricing. For travel on high-demand days like August 29, when the Onam vacation begins, luxury private bus fares hover around Rs 2,500, a significant drop from the Rs 3,500 to Rs 5,200 they commanded during the same period last year. Similarly, flight tickets are available for around Rs 3,000, thanks in part to a greater number of special services. IndiGo alone has announced 24 extra round-trip flights to metros like Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Mumbai from Kochi, said a Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) spokesperson. However, travel experts are cautious about the trend's longevity. Biji Eapen, national president of the IATA Agents Association of India, warns that while a current 'growth slowness' benefits those booking early, prices on monopoly routes like Kochi-Chennai will inevitably rise. 'The ticket prices will now go up as the festive season arrives,' Biji said. The dynamic is most visible in the pricing for return journeys. While outbound bus fares on August 29 average around Rs 2,500, the average fare for the return trip on September 7 soars to roughly Rs 3,500.
The Hindu
05-08-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
CIAL comes within the ambit RTI Act, says Kerala HC
The Kerala High Court held on Tuesday that Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) would come within the limits of the Right to Information (RTI) Act. Replying to a petition filed by M.R. Ajayan, editor of Green Kerala News, CIAL had contended that it would not come under the RTI Act since it was not a public property. Apart from maintaining that the body would come under the RTI Act, a Division Bench of Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice Syam Kumar V.M. also ordered that a public information officer (PIO) be appointed at the airport. The court fixed a 15-day timeline for CIAL to take steps to become completely RTI compliant and said that no request for extension of the timeline would be entertained. After perusing a history of cases in this regard, the court said it appeared that the managing director of CIAL had filed writ petitions and appeals without the approval of the agency's board of directors and the Chief Minister, who chairs the board, for hiding many important actions/decisions from the public and shareholders of CIAL. 'We deprecate such practices and direct the Chief Secretary [CS], who too is a board member, to take measures to prevent such instances,' the court said and directed the CS to file an action taken report within 15 days. Fine imposed Maintaining that the writ appeals were filed without proper authority, the court also imposed a fine of ₹1 lakh on CIAL. The HC order came on appeals filed by CIAL against a single judge order in 2022 wherein the court had held that CIAL was a public authority within the confines of the RTI Act and was, therefore, amenable to obligations of disclosure of information to members of the public. The State Information Commission had in 2019 held that CIAL was bound to divulge necessary information and meet the statutory obligations under the RTI Act, including the appointment of a PIO.
New Indian Express
04-08-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
1st-ever green hydrogen ferry all set for Varanasi ‘voyage'
KOCHI: The 'future fuel' is here! The first-ever green hydrogen ferry in the country, built by the Cochin Shipyard Ltd, has received the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS) approval, paving the way for the deployment of the 50-passenger capacity vessel that boasts of zero pollution, in Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. It has completed the six-month trial runs in Varanasi. The news is significant as the Kochi Water Metro, which currently uses electric-hybrid passenger ferries manufactured by the CSL, has ambitious plans to shift to the zero-emission green hydrogen fuel in future. 'The shift to green hydrogen vessels is now under active consideration and discussions are progressing with the Cochin Shipyard. While we decided against hydrogen ferries initially due to their huge operating cost and difficulty in sourcing, discussions have now been revived, with ANERT (Agency for New and Renewable Energy Research and Technology) extending a subsidy scheme as well,' said a source with Kochi Metro Rail Ltd. When the green hydrogen proposal was first made two years ago, the cost of the 'future fuel', considered a potential replacement for fossil-based ones, was `960/kg. Industry sources said this has now more than halved. 'Reliance has commissioned a pilot hydrogen refuelling station (HRS) in Jamnagar. The cost of hydrogen comes to Rs 360/kg,' a source said. Another positive development is the availability of hydrogen fuel in Kochi, as a green hydrogen plant and fuelling station, the first in south India, is coming up near Kochi airport at Nedumbassery. It is jointly developed by Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) and Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL). While BPCL is entrusted with the building and operation of the 1,000-kW plant, CIAL contributes land, water and green energy resources. The plant will have a capacity to produce 80 kg of green hydrogen daily.
New Indian Express
24-06-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Flight operations from Kerala to Gulf resume after Iran-Israel 'truce'; airlines clearing backlogs
KOCHI: With Iran and Israel having agreed upon a ceasefire a few hours back, flight services to the Gulf and Middle East regions resumed from Kerala on Tuesday noon, a development which will come as a boon to many Malayalis, stranded abroad. "The flight operations to the Gulf sector have resumed. But since a majority of them are operating at night usually, the services will return to normal later today," said a spokesperson of the Cochin International Airport Ltd. CIAL operates the most flights to the Gulf sector, especially destinations like Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah, from Kerala. The airlines too confirmed the resumption of services, but said it would take some time for the operations to return to normal, citing factors like flight availability and clearance of passenger backlogs.
New Indian Express
24-06-2025
- New Indian Express
Middle East crisis: Several flights from Kerala to Gulf sector cancelled
KOCHI: Passengers flying from Kerala to the Gulf sector and back are severely affected after a number of flights to the Gulf sectors have been cancelled in the wake of the escalating conflict in the Middle East. Flight services by various airlines to destinations including Doha (Qatar), Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Ras Al Khaimah (UAE), and Muscat (Oman) were cancelled, since Monday night. This following the missile attack by Iran on US military bases in Qatar in retaliation for the American bombing of its nuclear sites, which has put the commercial air operations in the region at risk. 'Due to the evolving situation in the Middle East, certain flights are delayed, rerouted or cancelled as a precautionary measure. We advise all passengers to check flight status regularly via the airline's official website or airport displays. Also stay updated through MS/email alerts from your airline,' read a passenger advisory issued by the Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL). The cancelled flights from Kochi included AI 953 (COK-DOH), SG 018 (COK-DXB), 6E 1403 (COK-AUH), 6E 1493 (COK-RKT), 6E 1271 (COK-MCT), 6 E 1272 (MCT-COK), 6E 1206/055 (BAH-COK-DMM), SG 017 (DXB-COK), 6 E 1404 (AUH-COK), AI 933 (COK-DXB), AI 934 (DXB=COK, IX 494 (KWI-COK), IX 441 (COK-MCT), IX 476 (DOH-COK), IX 475 (COK-DOH), IX 442 (MCT-COK) and IX 461 (COK-KWI). Similarly, several flights from Thiruvananthapuram, Calicut and Kannur too were delayed, rerouted or cancelled.
