The Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change has granted clearance for Adani Airport Holdings Ltd’s Rs 136 crore plan to build a five star hotel inside the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, a project spread across a little over 8,000 sq m and designed to house 240 rooms with food and beverage facilities offering 660 seats.
Officials said the approval followed a detailed examination by the Expert Appraisal Committee Infra 2 during its August meeting.
The land was handed over to the Adani Group’s airport subsidiary under a long term concession agreement signed with the Airports Authority of India in January 2021.
The ministry recorded that the proposed hotel will be a five storey structure with a height of 23 metres.
It will include two basement levels for parking, a ground floor and four upper floors, with a total built up area estimated at nearly 34,000 sq m.
Authorities have been informed that the project intends to meet about half of its daily water requirement through recycling, using treated water generated by an on site sewage treatment plant.
Solid waste is slated to be managed through organic waste converters and authorised recyclers.
Around 40 trees currently standing at the project site will be transplanted within the airport premises.
Space has been earmarked for a green belt and the developer has committed to energy saving measures expected to reduce overall consumption by up to 20 per cent.
The ministry noted that the site does not fall within any eco sensitive or forest areas and that the project faces no pending court cases.
It added that the clearance was processed at the central level due to the temporary absence of the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority in Kerala.
According to officials, the Rs 136 crore development is expected to take around three years to complete.
The project is projected to generate about 300 direct jobs and nearly 900 indirect employment opportunities and is positioned to enhance passenger amenities and support Thiruvananthapuram’s tourism economy.
A source said the hotel forms a key component of Adani Group’s broader City Side Development plan for the airport.
The company expects the facility to cater to air travellers and also foreign crew arriving on large cargo vessels docking at the Vizhinjam port, which the group operates.
Recently, the union government allocated an immigration counter at the Vizhinjam International Seaport, enabling crew change operations that officials believe could accelerate additional development in the region.
