COCHIN INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

• Omicron; CIAL scales up testing capacity; 700 tests in an hour

* Rapid test result in 30 minutes

As part of keeping the vigil against Covid’s new variant  Omicron,  Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL)has decided to scale up covid testing facilities for international arriving passengers. Thursday onwards the airport operator will be able to facilitate 700 covid tests in an hour.

A meeting chaired by  CIAL Managing Director S Suhas IAS  on Wednesday decided to incorporate both rapid PCR and RTPCR tests to ensure hassle-free passenger movement in the international arrival area. In addition to the current capacity of 350 RTPCR tests per hour, equal number of rapid PCR testing facilities will be arranged. As per the latest guidelines issued by the central health and family welfare ministry, all passengers arriving from ‘ at risk ‘ countries have to be tested at the airport and will have to wait at the holding area till the result comes. Health authorities informed that the results of the RTPCR test could be delivered in 5 hours whereas the result of Rapid PCR will be delivered in 30 minutes. Passengers will have the option to choose the test as per their requirements. They have to pay the testing charge as prescribed by the Government. If the result is negative passengers can leave the airport and have to be in quarantine for 7 days.  A special holding area has been set up for passengers to wait at the terminal to get the results delivered. There will be special immigration counters functioning for the passengers arriving from the countries enlisted in the risk category. There will be an inflight announcement to inform the passengers about the testing procedures.

• Sabarimala special counter opened at CIAL

Travancore Devaswom Board has set up a special counter at the Kochi airport to facilitate Sabarimala pilgrims . Devaswom Board President Adv. K Ananthagopan inaugurated the counter. CIAL Managing Director S.Suhas IAS presided over the function. The counter is located at the arrival hall of the domestic terminal. The counter is operated by Dhanalaxmi  Bank on behalf of the Travancore Devaswom Board. Coupons for Neyyabhishekam,Aravana, Appam prasadams given from Sannidhanam will be available at the airport counter.  Pilgrims can also avail detailed information regarding the pilgrimage. Airport Director A.C.K Nair, Executive Director A.M. Shabeer, Operations general manager C. Dinesh Kumar,  Devaswom Board Chief Engineer G.Krishnakumar, Dhanalaxmi Bank Regional Head P. Rajesh, and others attended the function.

Kochi: The Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) on Saturday endorsed the proposal of its board of directors to give out a dividend of 27 per cent to shareholders of the company.

A decision to this effect was taken at the 25th annual general meeting (AGM) held here.

Addressing the shareholders as the chairman of the company, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, said CIAL is one of the best institutions in the state and though there was a lot to mention about its achievements during the previous fiscal, the observance of model code of conduct prompted him to refrain from it.

CIAL has registered a net profit of Rs 166.92 crores out of a turnover of Rs 650.34 crore during the financial year 2018-19.

The board of Directors had in June proposed a dividend of 27 per cent to the investors.

Despite the closure of the airport for 15 days due to the August flood, the company registered an increase of turnover of 17.52 per cent, a CIAL statement said.

The turnover during 2017-18 was Rs 553.41 crore.

The profit (after tax) was increased by seven per cent ie, Rs 155.99 crore in 2017-18 to Rs 166.92 crore in 2018-19, it said.

The consolidated turnover achieved by CIAL and its fully owned subsidiaries like CIAL Duty Free and Retails Services Ltd (CDRSL) stands at Rs 807.36 Cr for the accounting FY.

It was Rs 701.13 crore in 2017-18. The consolidated profit is increased from 169.92 crore in 2017-18 to 184.77 crore in the accounting year. CDRSL alone has logged a turnover of Rs 240.33 crore.

CIAL, which pioneered the idea of PPP model in airport infrastructure development enjoys a base of more than 18,000 investors from 30 countries was incorporated in 1994 and the airport was inaugurated 20 years back, in 1999.

The company has been paying dividend consistently since 2003-04 and with the endorsement at the 25th AGM held on Saturday, the total dividend pay-out touched 255 per cent.

The Kerala government which has a share of 32.41 per cent in the company would be given Rs 33.44 crore as dividend from CIAL.

CIAL directors K Roy Paul, A K Ramani, M A Yusuffali, C V Jacob, E M Babu, Managing Director V JKurian, Company Secretary Saji K George were present at the meeting.

Cochin International Airport today stands at fourth in the country in terms of international traffic and seventh in total traffic has been handling more than 10 million passengers a year since 2017-18.

CIAL became the worlds first airport fully powered by solar energy in 2015.