Latest news with #CochinInternationalAirportLtd
Time of India
02-07-2025
- Time of India
Kochi airport turns hub for exotic wildlife smuggling from Thailand
Kochi: Cochin International Airport Ltd (Cial) is emerging as a hub for the illegal trafficking of live exotic animals from Thailand to Kerala. Over just seven months ending June 2025, customs officials at Cial seized nearly 25 live exotic animals in three separate cases. 'Exotic species' refers to animals not native to a particular habitat or geographical region. The trafficking modus operandi is relatively simple. Agents in Kerala recruit financially vulnerable individuals by offering them a paid trip to Thailand—covering all expenses in return for smuggling exotic animals back to India. The carriers receive between Rs 30,000 and Rs 40,000 per trip. In the past seven months, four such passengers, who went to Thailand as tourists, were intercepted by Customs for trafficking rare birds like hyacinth macaws, primates such as white-lipped tamarins and common marmosets, along with tortoises and rabbits. "These are essentially paid holidays for the carriers," said a Customs officer. "Agents here identify people who are struggling financially. Once they agree, the agents in Bangkok arrange the stay, and the animal is packed into their check-in baggage. On arrival at Cial, someone approaches the passenger to collect the bag." The animals are smuggled in miserable conditions—crammed into boxes or hidden within baggage, often tied up or sedated and covered with clothing or paper. Investigators found that Bangkok-based agents photograph carriers before departure and send the image to their Kerala counterparts. "Once the passenger lands at Cial, the local agent identifies them using the photo. If the carrier is intercepted at the airport, the handlers waiting outside flee," said the official, noting that exotic animals fetch high prices and there are people ready to buy them. Customs officers intercept traffickers by profiling passengers who make frequent short trips to Thailand. "If suspicious images turn up during baggage scans, we open the luggage," an official said. "In all three recent cases, the passengers flew Thai Airways. We've alerted the airline, but the trafficking continues. Since transporting these animals is legal in Thailand, that is why it becomes a major source of trafficking," said an officer. However, what handicaps the investigators is that their investigation reaches a dead end with the arrest of the carriers. "Most carriers have no contact information for the dealers or handlers. They're kept deliberately in the dark about the wider network," said a forest department official. He said in two recent cases, the seized animals were sent back to Bangkok on the same flight following court orders. "However, in the June 30 case, the animals were too young and required immediate care. They were moved to a zoological park in Thrissur for veterinary attention," said the official. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Doctor's Day 2025 , messages and quotes!
Time of India
30-06-2025
- Time of India
Customs officials seize live animals from passengers at Kochi airport
Kochi: Customs officials at Cochin International Airport Ltd (Cial) on Monday seized six live animals from two passengers who arrived on a Thai Airways flight from Bangkok. The officials seized three common marmosets, two white-lipped tamarins and one hyacinth macaw. According to the EXIM policy, known as the foreign trade policy, the import of live animals listed under Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is strictly regulated. Commercial trade of appendix 1 or schedule 4 of the Protection Act is prohibited. The passengers and the live animals were handed over to forest officials in Kalady. According to sources, the intercepted passengers are Jobson Joy and Aryamol, a couple from Pathanamthitta. When Cial officials scanned the baggage, they noticed a suspicious image, prompting them to intercept the passengers and check the bag. Following instructions from a veterinary doctor, the animals were transported to the zoological park at Thrissur for further care. The couple will be produced at Perumbavoor judicial first class magistrate court on Tuesday.
New Indian Express
24-06-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Flight operations from Kerala to Gulf resume after Iran-Israel 'truce'; airlines clearing backlogs
KOCHI: With Iran and Israel having agreed upon a ceasefire a few hours back, flight services to the Gulf and Middle East regions resumed from Kerala on Tuesday noon, a development which will come as a boon to many Malayalis, stranded abroad. "The flight operations to the Gulf sector have resumed. But since a majority of them are operating at night usually, the services will return to normal later today," said a spokesperson of the Cochin International Airport Ltd. CIAL operates the most flights to the Gulf sector, especially destinations like Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah, from Kerala. The airlines too confirmed the resumption of services, but said it would take some time for the operations to return to normal, citing factors like flight availability and clearance of passenger backlogs.
The Hindu
21-06-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
Yoga can help in creating a healthy nation, says Union Minister Suresh Gopi
Union Minister of State for Tourism Suresh Gopi said here on Saturday (June 21, 2025) that yoga should become a habit among the people aimed at creating a healthy nation. Also read | International Yoga Day LIVE updates Good health is key for the development of the country. Yoga is the only way to achieve it, he said at the International Day of Yoga programme held at the Bolghatty Palace event centre here. Senior citizens and children were among those who attended the Yoga day celebrations held at the venue. The Minister distributed tree saplings to the participants. Actor Mohanlal participated in a programme held at the Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) convention centre in Nedumbassery. Several children joined him in the display of Yoga techniques. The actor, who spoke on the occasion, urged the youth to stay away from the menace of drugs. It is like a cancer that destroys your health, he said.
Hindustan Times
17-06-2025
- Hindustan Times
Air India flight bound for Delhi makes emergency landing in Nagpur after bomb threat
A Delhi-bound IndiGo flight with 157 passengers on board made an emergency landing in Nagpur on Tuesday after receiving a bomb threat, the Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) said. The flight, which originated from Muscat, was on its way to Delhi after its scheduled stop in Kochi. The CIAL said it received the threat in its official email ID about the flight, which departed for Delhi with 157 passengers and six crew members at 9.31 am. "The information was promptly communicated to relevant authorities following which the flight made an emergency landing at Nagpur airport," the airport operator said. An IndiGo spokesperson later in a statement confirmed receiving a "security concern" pertaining to its flight and said it immediately informed the relevant authorities as per security aviation protocol. Subsequently, a Bomb Threat Assessment Committee (BTAC) was convened and the threat was declared as "specific", CIAL said. "The flight safely landed at Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport, Nagpur, and all customers disembarked," IndiGo said in the statement. The spokesperson said the airline is fully cooperating with the authorities concerned in conducting the mandatory security checks before the aircraft is cleared to resume operations.
