Thiruvananthapuram: The Indian airport that halts flights for a divine procession

On a nice April day, when the skies above the international airports in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala, were silenced for a brief period of time.

The airport was closed to make way for a Hindu temple march that marched straight across its airport rather than negative climate or a technical issue, as one might assume.

A tradition so revered that it temporarily suspends operations at the airport, which typically handles 90 landings and take-offs daily, is carried out by devotees pulling elaborate wooden chariots carrying temple idols along a 2 km ( 1. 2 miles ) stretch of the runway. Elephants even walk on the airport, which is a frequent feature of Hindu spiritual celebrations in India.

The event, which took place last Friday, is part of the annual Painkuni festival held by the famed Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple, home to treasures worth billions of rupees.

The procession departs from the temple on the last day of the 10-day event, which travels through the runway to Shanghumugham Beach, which is about 6 km away.

Priests bathe the gods in the ocean during the procession’s arrival at the beach. The church is reached after crossing the tarmac once more and returning on the same course.

The original Travancore royal family, which built the aircraft in 1932, leads the procession. Although it’s unclear when the event and the march began, the tradition has continued since, even when the airport’s management was transferred to the authorities and a private company.

Adani Airport Holdings Ltd., a company owned by Gautam Adani’s Group, is currently in charge of running the aircraft.

The airport also temporarily suspends functions for a comparable parade during the monument’s Alpashi Festival, which occurs in October or November each year.

Thiruvananthapuram International Airport is one of the few airports in the world that shuts down for a catholic reason. Yom Kippur, the holy time in Judaism, is celebrated at Indonesia’s Ngurah Rai Airport during the Balinese Hindu New Year, as well as Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport on Yom Kippur, which is also known as the holy time.

However, these are common holidays when the airport completely shuts down, and it’s uncommon for a high-security runway to be used to host a spiritual or social event.

The airport was pleased to be able to keep the procession’s legacy, according to Rahul Bhatkoti, the airport’s key airport officer.

Before the parade entered the airport on Friday night, he told the BBC,” This is probably the only airport in the world that helps such a historical occasion.”

Both domestic and international connectors are closed during the march because the airport only has one tarmac.

The Middle East, where a large number of American workers, many of whom are from Kerala, reside and work, is where the majority of the international airlines fly around are.

Officials at the airport said they made the announcement to carriers two months in advance, and 10 airlines were rescheduled the time.

According to Mahesh Balachandran, the temple’s professional officer,” the march begins around 16 :45 local time and takes about four hours to complete.”

The event’s attendance is strictly controlled and constrained.

Just senior royal family members, priests, authorities, and selected devotees are permitted to participate, and they must also have safety clearance from aircraft authorities. They must also have special passes issued by the church confidence.

During the Painkuni and Alpashi events, Mr. Balachandran said,” The parade passes through the airports with full ritual vigor half a year.” It proceeds calmly and without incident. Everyone is properly planned out.

The militia that oversees airport security, the Central Industrial Security Force, barricades the whole runway for security and manages the masses.

Through monitoring devices, we likewise monitor the group. The airport is checked for safety and security after the march, according to Mahesh Gupthan, the airline’s business communications manager.

The procession passing through the airport is a reminder of how “heritage and modernity co-exist here, every year”, Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor wrote on X after last week’s procession.

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