Flight Operations At Trivandrum Airport Will Be Suspended For 5 Hours On Nov 1

Are you flying to Kerala tomorrow? If yes, you must check your flight status as flight operations at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport (TRV) in Kerala will be suspended for 5 hours on November 1.

According to the airport, flight services will remain suspended ahead of the Alpassi Arattu procession of Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple.

Domestic and international flights have been rescheduled for this period, and the airlines will make updated schedules available.

Every year during the traditional Arattu procession, the airport suspends flight operations (Arattu- ritualistic bath of the deity). For over 1,000 years, the temple’s heirs, former Travancore ruler Marthanda Varma, have managed this century-old Vishnu temple.

The Thiruvananthapuram International Airport in a statement said;

“To enable and facilitate the smooth continuation of a centuries-old ritual by Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple for the Alpassi Arattu procession, through the runway of the Thiruvananthapuram International airport, the flight services shall remain suspended from 1600 to 2100 hours on the 1st of November 2022.”

Before closing it for the bi-annual festival, the airport issues a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM), as it takes place twice a year, first between March and April for the Panguni festival and then in October and November to celebrate Alphasi.

The priests in Garuda Vahanas, along with hundreds of people and four elephants decked out in rich decorative coverings, carry Utsav Vigraha of deities Padmanabhaswamy, Narasimha Moorthy, and Krishna Swami and walk through this long runway to Shankumugham Beach for the procession.

Following the dip in this beach, the idols will be returned to the temple in a procession marked by traditional torches, signalling the end of this festival.