Adani's 'big gift' for Thiruvananthapuram to be inaugurated in April

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The duty-free shop at the Thiruvananthapuram airport will be opened in April. The shop, which has been closed for four years, will be run by a joint venture between Dubai-based Flemingo and Adani. The former small duty-free shop at the airport has been widened for this purpose. The duty-free shop will get the customs license soon.

International travellers have long demanded the opening of a duty-free shop in Thiruvananthapuram. The Adani Group, which took over the management of the airport, had planned to open a small duty-free shop, but later it was decided to open a bigger shop. The duty-free shop will be renovated to a world-class standard. CIAL's duty free shop at Nedumbassery Airport which stretches over half a lakh sq ft is operating at a huge profit.

The duty-free shop run by Plus Max was closed after the CBI registered a case against it for misusing the passport details of 13,000 passengers and smuggling liquor worth Rs 6 crore. With the help of Luke K. George, the customs superintendent of the cargo complex made documents of selling foreign liquor in the name of passengers who did not buy alcohol, and Plus Max was accused of evading customs duties worth about Rs 6 crore. The license of the duty-free shop was revoked. Luke K. George was arrested by the CBI and Customs. The Adani-Flemingo joint venture is gearing up for a duty-free shop with a seamless system.

Daily flights to Mumbai

Air India's daily service from Thiruvananthapuram to Mumbai will start soon. There are currently three services. Indigo's Bangalore services have been increased from seven a week to 20. More services are expected in the summer schedule.