Kerala BJP Seeks Centre's Nod to Study Kodumon Site for Sabarimala Airport

Chandrasekhar said on Saturday that he had met Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu and submitted a proposal put forward by senior BJP leaders Kummanam Rajasekharan and Anoop Antony. The proposal calls for the land at Kodumon Estate to be examined in consultation with the Kerala government and considered under the Centre's Greenfield Airports Policy.

The proposed site is in the broader Sabarimala region, and Chandrasekhar said an airport there could reduce the lengthy road journey currently faced by pilgrims arriving by air through Kochi or Thiruvananthapuram.

He said improved air connectivity could also benefit Pathanamthitta and surrounding areas, including families with members working abroad, while strengthening connectivity to other destinations along the Sabarimala pilgrimage circuit.

Chandrasekhar pointed to pilgrimage centres such as Shirdi and Tirupati as examples where improved transport connectivity has contributed to wider tourism and infrastructure development. He said the objective was to provide Sabarimala pilgrims with modern air connectivity comparable to facilities available at other major pilgrimage destinations.

The proposal would require detailed technical, environmental and financial assessments before any decision could be taken on developing the site.

The Centre has already granted site clearance for the Kerala government's proposed Greenfield Airport at Kottayam, intended to serve Sabarimala pilgrims, with the clearance issued in April 2023. The Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation has been identified as the project proponent and has been required to proceed with further project-development formalities, including preparation of a Detailed Project Report and securing subsequent approvals.

The existing project envisages an airport near Erumeli, while the new proposal seeks an assessment of Kodumon Estate in Pathanamthitta as another possible location. The land requirements and technical suitability of any proposed site would have to be established through the relevant feasibility and regulatory processes.

The demand for improved air connectivity to Sabarimala has been raised for several years, with the proposed airport intended to serve pilgrims as well as tourists, non-resident Indians and the wider central Travancore region.