L&T wins Kannur airport runway tender

Larson and Tubro Mumbai has won the tender for constructing the runway at the proposed Kannur airport, a minister said Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters here, state Minister for Excise K. Babu, who also looks into the aviation sector, said the work will start this month itself.

"L&T was selected after their bid was the lowest at Rs.694 crore among the four companies which came into the last round," Babu said.

The airport is coming up in an area of around 2000 acres of land and is expected to cost Rs.1700 crore.

Kerala has three international airports at Kozhikode, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram. The tender for the construction of the Kannur airport building and other infrastructure would be put out shortly.

The airport is coming up under the public-private initiative and a company, Kannur International Airport Limited, has already been formed for the purpose.

The equity of the airport includes 26 percent for the state government, 23 percent for state and central public sector units, two percent to Infrastructures Kerala Limited, a Kerala government company, and the remaining 49 percent would be private participation for which shares have already been floated.