Test landing at Kannur airport successful.

An IAF plane touched down on the runway of the Kannur international airport as part of the trial landing exercise of Kerala's newest airport to the cheers of thousands of people, including Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and a host of his ministers, recent morning.

Chandy said the airport would be fully ready by September to start commercial operations and receive international flights. The trial landing was hailed as a milestone for the North Malabar region.

The CPI(M) had boycotted the ceremony to mark the test landing alleging that it was a political gimmick by the Chandy government in view of the upcoming Assembly elections. CPI(M) leaders claimed that the airport was half complete as only 2,400 feet of runway had been finished. The trial landing was held in haste to draw political mileage for the Chandy government in the coming election, they alleged.

The Kannur airport, which is being built as a public-private partnership initiative, is the fourth international airport in Kerala. The greenfield airport is expected to serve mainly the people of the North Malabar region who work in the Gulf countries.

HBL