Kochi: Cochin International Airport Limited builds own hotel, to commission in a year

Kochi: Adding to the growing number of star hotels in and around Kochi, the Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) is set to establish a start hotel on the premises of the airport itself so that passengers will have a convenient stay.

The structure of a seven-storey building at the airport has been completed and the tender for additional civil works and interior works in the structure has been called. The hotel is expected to be operational within a year.

A senior airport official said its functioning model and star category have not been decided. "We haven't decided whether we will be operating it on our own or sub-let it to any hotel chains. It is envisaged as a convenient stay for the passengers as in a few other airports," he said and added that there will be over 70 rooms in the hotel.

The development comes close on the heels of the state government approving the Rs 228-crore projects submitted by public sector consultancy firm KITCO for the Chengal canal revival to avoid flooding of the airport. The projects will be executed in several phases and the first phase will be completed in three months. The airport will benefit in a tourist destination like Kochi if it can withstand major floods and add more facilities like a hotel to it.