No-frill terminal mooted

Oct 5

A no-frill terminal exclusively for budget airlines has been suggested by former Union Minister and Thiruvananthapuam MP Shashi Tharoor for the Thiruvananthapuram Airport.

Though Tharoor has mooted the idea primarly with the intention of relieveing users of budget airlines from the user fee, setting up a third terminal also has various other advantages. Moreover, in many foreign countries there are exclusive no-frill terminals that cater to the passengers in budget airlines.

Tharoor, who had already sent his suggestion to Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel and others senior officers concerned, also said that the new terminal could be reserve only for non-budget airlines. Domestic services would be retained at the exisiting domestic terminal itself. The no-frill terminal would only offer the basic amenitieis.

About one-third of the international passengers from the airport are using budget airlines and most of them are involved in low-income jobs in Gulf countries. Hence the user fee of Rs. 755 which is fixed for the new interntaional terminal would be a heavy burden for them. Around Rs. 750 is already being collected from each passengers as service fee and service tax.

Atpresent three budget airlines are operating from Thiruvananthapuram airport and the the Singapore-based budget airline Tiger Airways is commencing opertaions to Thiruvananthapuram from next month. More budget airlines would be commencing services in the near future. Hence maintaining a no-frill terminal would become useful in the future.

The infrastructure at the existing interntaional terminal could also be utilised effectively if it is retained as a no-frill terminal. The rush at the terminal could also be reduced by distributing the passengers among more terminals. The heavy traffic congestion that the NH by-pass may witness once the new terminal becomes opertaional could also be controlled to certain extent if the budget airlines are opertaed from the exisitng terminal itself, it is pointed out.

Meanwhile, sources at the airport said that all the agencies involved with the airport like the emigration, CISF and Customs would require additional manpower and infrastructure. It would also cause additional financial burden.


Tigere from TVPM : The Singapore-based budget airline Tiger Airways is commencing services in the Thiruvanananthapuram – Singapore sector from next November.

Sources said that Tiger is planning three weekly service in the sector, on Tuesdays, Thursday and Saturdays. Tiger would be the fourth budget airline to opertae from Thiruvananthapuram after Air India Express, Air Arabia and Air Asia.

Other ailines like the Spicejet and Indigo are also planning to commence services from Thiruvananthapuram shortly, said sources.