History of Trivandrum International Airport (First Flight Cover to Bombay)
The airport was established in 1932 as part of the Royal Flying Club under the initiative of Colonel Goda Varma Raja, husband of HRH Princess Karthika Thirunal of Travancore Kingdom. Col G.V Raja, a trained pilot, felt the need an airport to accommodate Travancore in the aviation map of India. In 1935, on royal patronage of H.H Maharaja Chithira Thirunal, Tata Airlines made its maiden flight to the airport using DH.83 Fox Moth aircraft under command of India’s first pilot Nevill Vintcent, carried Jamshed Navoroji, a Tata company official, and Kanchi Dwarakadas, commercial agent of Travancore to Bombay Presidency with a special mail from Viceroy of British India, Lord Willingdon wishing birthday greetings to the Maharaja.
The first flight took off on 1 November 1935, carrying mails of Royal Anchal (Travancore Post) to Bombay. In 1938, the Royal Government of Travancore acquired a Dakota as Maharaja’s private aircraft and placed the first squadron of Royal Indian Air Force (Travancore) for protection of state from aerial attacks. After Independence, the airstrip was used for domestic flights with construction of a domestic terminal: T1.
International flights at the Airport at Thiruvananthapuram started operating in the year 1967 with the introduction of bi-weekly flights to and from Colombo. Flights to Maldives started operating in the year 1976. Direct flights from Middle East countries started in 1978. This Airport was the 5th of its kind in India has been declared as an Airport with 24 hours operational facilities on two-shift basis with effect from 01.09.2000. An Air Intelligence Unit is also working in the International Airport.
Though the exports through the Thiruvananthapuram Airport to Male and Colombo started with effect from 1979, a full fledged Cargo Complex was set up in July 1984 and M/s. Kerala State Industrial Enterprises were appointed as the custodian. With effect from 01.01.1991 Trivandrum Airport was declared as International Airport and consequently, International Airport Authority of India, took over the custodianship.
On 1 March 2011, the first flight operated from the new international terminal. IX 536 (Air India Express) from Sharjah marked the first arrival. Air India Express operated the first departure to Dubai from this new terminal. Management of the Airport is solely under Adani Group, a corporation responsible for creating, upgrading, maintaining and managing civil aviation infrastructure in India.