Quilon Aerodrome or Kollam Airport was an

aerodrome An aerodrome (Commonwealth English) or airdrome (American English) is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for publ ...

in the city of Kollam in the former state of

Travancore The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At ...

, now in

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

, India. During the 1920s, there were no other civil aerodromes in the kingdoms of

Cochin Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...

, Travancore and the

Malabar District Malabar District, also known as Malayalam District, was an administrative district on the southwestern Malabar Coast of Bombay Presidency (1792-1800) and Madras Presidency (1800-1947) in British India, and independent India's Madras State (19 ...

at the time of the British ruled Madras Presidency. With the commissioning of

Trivandrum International Airport Thiruvananthapuram International Airport , is an international airport which serves Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala, India. Established in 1932, it is the first airport in the state of Kerala and fifth international airport of In ...

in 1932 at state capital to the south, the aerodrome fell into disuse and came to be known as the Asramam Maidan. The landing strip of the aerodrome was strengthened with red laterite soil from the adjoining hills because the local loose soil was unsuitable for the purpose. There were no buildings in the aerodrome, however, a circular concrete pad for parking aircraft was built. The aerodrome was under the control of the Public Works Department (PWD). The aerodrome was also used for training operations. These were stopped when an accident involving a training aircraft at the boundary of the aerodrome, resulted in the death of the pilot and the trainee.

Proposal for an Aviation Academy at Old Airport

During 2009 -2012, local authorities made plans to revive the aerodrome for a flying academy with a 4,000 foot runway for light aircraft. However, since the site was now surrounded by several high-rising structures like buildings and cell phone towers and the proposal met with objections from the local population, the plans were discarded.

Revival of airstrip plans

Government of Kerala Government of Kerala is the Subnational administrative division, subnational government of the Indian state of Kerala. The government is led by a chief minister, who selects all the other ministers. The chief minister and their most senior mini ...

started plans to set-up 10 airstrips in Kerala including one at Asramam Old Airport area. In February 2020, the state government submitted a feasibility study report to Civil Aviation Ministry of India in this regard.

References

History of Kollam Transport in Kollam Defunct airports in India Airports in Kerala 1932 establishments in India Airports established in 1932 {{India-airport-stub

Proposal for an Aviation Academy at Old Airport

Revival of airstrip plans

See also

References