Thiruvananthapuram International Airport will suspend flight operations for five hours on October 20 to allow the Alpassi Arattu procession of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple to cross the runway, airport operator Thiruvananthapuram International Airport Ltd (TIAL) said in a statement on Sunday.
Flight services will be suspended from 4 pm to 9 pm, TIAL said. Passengers have been advised to check with their respective airlines for revised flight timings before travelling to the airport.
The procession is part of a centuries-old tradition associated with the Travancore royal family. It travels through the airport’s runway area on its way to Shangumugham beach, where the idols are taken for a holy bath.
Airport operations are suspended twice a year to facilitate the temple’s biannual ceremonial procession. The practice has continued even after the airport was established at the site in 1932 and after the Adani Group took over management of the facility.
According to historians cited in the report, when the airport was built, Travancore king Sree Chithira Thirunal stipulated that the facility would remain open to the public for 363 days a year, with the remaining two days reserved for Lord Padmanabha, the titular deity of the royal family.
The scheduled suspension means airlines will need to manage flight movements around the five-hour operational window, while passengers with departures or arrivals during that period will need to confirm any changes directly with their carriers. TIAL’s statement did not provide details of individual flight cancellations or rescheduling arrangements.
