Arat procession: flight operations to be suspended for five hours on October 30

The flight operations at the Thiruvananthapuram international airport will be temporarily suspended from 4.45 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Thursday (October 30, 2025) in connection with the ‘Alpasi Arat’ procession from the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple. The Arat procession of the temple will pass through the runway around 5.30 p.m. Passengers are advised to check with their respective airlines for updated flight schedules and revised timings.

The runway of the airport lies on a route where the annual procession from the temple was traditionally taken, and the procession has to cut through the runway to reach the Shanghumughom beach for the holy bath of the idols, a tradition which began centuries ago. Hence, the runway will be closed twice a year for the temple procession to pass through.