Thiruvananthapuram, Apr 1 (PTI) Flight services from the international airport here will be suspended for over four hours on April 2 for the smooth continuation of the holy ‘Painkuni Arattu’ procession of Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple across the runway, TIAL said on Wednesday.
The Thiruvananthapuram International Airport Ltd (TIAL) said that the flight services would be suspended from 4.45 pm to 9pm on April 2.
“On April 2, 2026, flight services will be suspended from 16.45 hrs to 2100 hrs to enable the smooth continuation of the holy Painkuni Arattu procession of Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple through our runway,” it said in an advisory.
It said that the updated timings of the flights are available with the respective airlines.
The airport has been pausing operations and rescheduling flights twice every year for decades to enable the bi-annual centuries-old ceremonial procession of the shrine to pass through the runway.
The practice of the temple procession taking that path to reach the Shangumugham beach for the holy bath of the idols began centuries ago and it has been continuing even after the establishment of the airport in 1932.
When the airport was constructed in the particular place, the then Travancore King Sree Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma had made it clear that the facility would be open for the public for 363 days in a year and for two days for Lord Padmanabha, the titular deity of the royal family, according to historians.
The royal-era ritual has been continuing even after the Adani Group took over the management of the airport.
The airport issues a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) twice every year before the runway is closed during the bi-annual Alpassi festival, which falls in October-November and the Painkuni festival in March-April. PTI HMP ROH
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