Bid to revive Aranmula airport project in Kerala hits hurdle as promoter backtracks

The latest attempt to revive the controversial Aranmula airport project in Kerala suffered an early setback on Monday (July 13, 2026), with its promoter and KGS Group chairman Abraham Kalamannil softening his stand in the face of official scrutiny over an unauthorised drone survey at the project site.

Addressing reporters, Mr. Kalamannil distanced himself from his earlier claim of conducting a drone survey and said his immediate objective was only to establish an airstrip capable of handling smaller aircraft. According to him, the facility would primarily serve the aviation engineering college run by his group to provide the students with practical training.

“I am even ready to hand over the project land to the State government, provided it establishes an airstrip there,” Mr. Kalamannil said.

Only with DGCA nod

He also walked back his earlier statement about carrying out the second phase of the drone survey and said any future exercise would be undertaken only with the approval and directions of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

Mr. Kalamannil further claimed that several high net-worth individuals from Kerala who own or operate private jets had approached him seeking an airstrip in central Travancore along with offers to invest.

The shift in stand comes just days after Mr. Kalamannil announced plans to revive the long-stalled airport project and claimed to have conducted a preliminary drone survey at the site. His remarks prompted the Revenue department to initiate an inquiry into the alleged survey on the property that has been declared as surplus land by the government.

Political row

The plans to revive the airport project, meanwhile, also triggered a political row, with the Communist Party of India (CPI) mounting strong opposition to the proposal even as Congress MP Anto Antony came out in support of the project. Escalating the agitation, the All India Youth Federation (AIYF), the youth wing of the CPI, on Monday announced an indefinite protest demanding that the proposal be shelved.

The Aranmula airport project traces its origins to 2004 and it received in-principle approval during the tenure of the V.S. Achuthanandan government. The project area was later declared an industrial zone after the Oommen Chandy government assumed office in 2011. The project, however, collapsed in the face of sustained public protests. In May 2014, the National Green Tribunal quashed the environmental clearance granted to the project, a decision that was later upheld by the Supreme Court.

The land identified for the airport spans Aranmula, Mallappuzhassery and Kidangannur villages. In July 2017, the Kozhencherry Taluk Land Board declared it surplus land. The project promoters subsequently secured a stay from the Kerala High Court, where the legal challenge remains pending. The High Court is scheduled to hear the Aranmula surplus land case on July 16, 2026.