Thiruvananthapuram: Flight operations at the international airport in Thiruvananthapuram will be temporarily halted for five hours on October 20 to allow the traditional Arattu procession of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple to pass across the runway, according to an announcement made by Thiruvananthapuram International Airport Ltd (TIAL). The suspension is scheduled to take place from 4 pm to 9 pm on that day, maintaining a decades-old tradition associated with the Travancore royal family.
In its official statement, TIAL advised passengers that updated flight schedules are available directly through their respective airlines. The airport has routinely paused operations and rescheduled flights twice a year for decades to accommodate this centuries-old ceremonial procession.
The custom of the temple procession traversing the airfield to reach Shangumugham beach for the sacred ritual bath of the idols dates back centuries and has persisted continuously even after the airfield was established at the site in 1932. Historians note that when the airport was originally built, the reigning Travancore King Sree Chithira Thirunal stipulated that the facility would remain operational for the public 363 days a year, while remaining open for Lord Padmanabha, the titular deity of the royal family, on the two days of the bi-annual processions.
This royal-era ritual continues to be observed even under the current management of the airport by the Adani Group.