Latest news with #CochinInternationalAirportLtd
New Indian Express
3 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.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Kochi airport: Cial comes under RTI Act purview, rules Kerala HC
Kochi: A high court bench of Justices Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and V M Syam Kumar has upheld a single bench order that declared that Cochin International Airport Ltd (Cial) is a public authority and is therefore amenable to Right to Information (RTI) Act. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now HC delivered the verdict while dismissing a set of appeals filed by Cial against the single bench order of 2022. The court also imposed a cost of Rs 1 lakh on Cial, to be paid to the Kerala high court advocates' association within 10 days. The cost was imposed in view of the court's findings that the writ petitions and appeals were filed by Cial managing director without the approval of the board of directors, apparently with the intent of concealing important decisions and actions from public shareholders. HC observed that even the CM, Cial's chairman, was not consulted before initiating the litigation. It held that the MD had no authority to file the cases without the board's approval. Strongly deprecating this practice, HC directed the chief secretary, who is a Cial director, to take appropriate action and ensure that such incidents are not repeated. The case arose after a series of RTI applications seeking various details, including the minutes of board meetings, were rejected by Cial. This prompted appeals to the state chief information commissioner, who ruled that Cial is a public authority under Section 2(h) of the RTI Act and is bound to provide the requested information. The Cial MD then moved HC against the commissioner's order. However, a single bench dismissed the petitions in 2022 and directed the public information officer of Cial to provide the requested information in accordance with law. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The MD's appeals contended that Cial does not fall under the definition of public authority under Section 2(h)(d)(i) of RTI Act, arguing that it is neither owned, controlled, nor substantially financed by the govt. However, HC held that both Kochi International Airport Society, Cial's predecessor, and Cial itself had been substantially financed by the Kerala and central govts from their inception, and that all conditions for being a public authority were duly satisfied. Upholding the state CIC's 2019 order, HC reaffirmed that Cial is obligated to provide information under the RTI Act. HC directed Cial to take all necessary steps within 15 days to become fully compliant with the provisions of the RTI Act and file a compliance report. The chief secretary has also been directed to file an action taken report before HC registry within 15 days.
Time of India
02-07-2025
- Time of India
Kochi airport turns hub for exotic wildlife smuggling from Thailand
Kochi: Cochin International Airport Ltd (Cial) is emerging as a hub for the illegal trafficking of live exotic animals from Thailand to Kerala. Over just seven months ending June 2025, customs officials at Cial seized nearly 25 live exotic animals in three separate cases. 'Exotic species' refers to animals not native to a particular habitat or geographical region. The trafficking modus operandi is relatively simple. Agents in Kerala recruit financially vulnerable individuals by offering them a paid trip to Thailand—covering all expenses in return for smuggling exotic animals back to India. The carriers receive between Rs 30,000 and Rs 40,000 per trip. In the past seven months, four such passengers, who went to Thailand as tourists, were intercepted by Customs for trafficking rare birds like hyacinth macaws, primates such as white-lipped tamarins and common marmosets, along with tortoises and rabbits. "These are essentially paid holidays for the carriers," said a Customs officer. "Agents here identify people who are struggling financially. Once they agree, the agents in Bangkok arrange the stay, and the animal is packed into their check-in baggage. On arrival at Cial, someone approaches the passenger to collect the bag." The animals are smuggled in miserable conditions—crammed into boxes or hidden within baggage, often tied up or sedated and covered with clothing or paper. Investigators found that Bangkok-based agents photograph carriers before departure and send the image to their Kerala counterparts. "Once the passenger lands at Cial, the local agent identifies them using the photo. If the carrier is intercepted at the airport, the handlers waiting outside flee," said the official, noting that exotic animals fetch high prices and there are people ready to buy them. Customs officers intercept traffickers by profiling passengers who make frequent short trips to Thailand. "If suspicious images turn up during baggage scans, we open the luggage," an official said. "In all three recent cases, the passengers flew Thai Airways. We've alerted the airline, but the trafficking continues. Since transporting these animals is legal in Thailand, that is why it becomes a major source of trafficking," said an officer. However, what handicaps the investigators is that their investigation reaches a dead end with the arrest of the carriers. "Most carriers have no contact information for the dealers or handlers. They're kept deliberately in the dark about the wider network," said a forest department official. He said in two recent cases, the seized animals were sent back to Bangkok on the same flight following court orders. "However, in the June 30 case, the animals were too young and required immediate care. They were moved to a zoological park in Thrissur for veterinary attention," said the official. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Doctor's Day 2025 , messages and quotes!
Time of India
30-06-2025
- Time of India
Customs officials seize live animals from passengers at Kochi airport
Kochi: Customs officials at Cochin International Airport Ltd (Cial) on Monday seized six live animals from two passengers who arrived on a Thai Airways flight from Bangkok. The officials seized three common marmosets, two white-lipped tamarins and one hyacinth macaw. According to the EXIM policy, known as the foreign trade policy, the import of live animals listed under Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is strictly regulated. Commercial trade of appendix 1 or schedule 4 of the Protection Act is prohibited. The passengers and the live animals were handed over to forest officials in Kalady. According to sources, the intercepted passengers are Jobson Joy and Aryamol, a couple from Pathanamthitta. When Cial officials scanned the baggage, they noticed a suspicious image, prompting them to intercept the passengers and check the bag. Following instructions from a veterinary doctor, the animals were transported to the zoological park at Thrissur for further care. The couple will be produced at Perumbavoor judicial first class magistrate court on Tuesday.
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.
