Direct flights from Coimbatore to Dubai are one of the city’s long-standing petitions to the government. Passengers and industry groups expressed this desire over a decade ago.
In the middle of 2023, numerous groups concerned with Coimbatore’s growth began an online campaign calling for the service on the X platform, which was highly publicised in print and digital formats. However, thus far, the request has not received a favourable response.
According to the most recent reports, Coimbatore International Airport Director Senthil Valavan has stated that no airline has expressed interest in starting a flight between Coimbatore and Dubai.
While answering questions on the airport’s delayed expansion, he allegedly stated that the Airport Authority of India has not taken a final decision on taking the property bought by the State Government in Coimbatore.
The AAI is thought to be hesitant to take the property because of the conditions imposed by the Tamil Nadu government.
The TN government has bought more than 550 acres of land to develop the airport and has stated that it is willing to hand over the property to AAI if it guarantees that it will not be leased, subleased, or transferred to other businesses.
According to the Tamil Nadu government, this requirement is only fair because it paid top market rates to buy the properties from the owners, and it maintains that the people’s land should remain with the government or with them, not with anyone else.
In April 2023, Tamil Nadu Minister PTR said that the State Government had denied AAI’s offer that they be granted the ability to sublease the land to a private operator (at the concessional lease rate) without our agreement (and at the token value lease payment).
