Bekal Airport, Kasaragod: Terminal, Code, Location, Connectivity and Amenities

Kasaragod is Kerala’s northernmost district — a sliver of Kerala that borders Karnataka’s coastal Mangaluru zone, speaks as many as eight languages (Malayalam, Kannada, Tulu, Konkani, Beary, Marathi, Kodava, and Urdu are all used across different communities here), and holds within it a place of singular beauty and heritage: Bekal Fort. The largest and best-preserved fort in Kerala, Bekal sits on a 40-acre headland jutting into the Arabian Sea — its observation tower offering views of the coast that Portuguese-era military architects would have found strategically indispensable. For a decade, the Kerala government has been planning an airport to serve this district and to reduce Kasaragod’s dependence on Kannur (95 km south) and Mangaluru (approximately 60 km north). Bekal Airport is that plan. As of mid-2026, it remains a proposed airport — no construction underway, no IATA code, no ICAO code, and no flights. What it has is an 80-acre site identified at Kanniyamkundu near Periya, a UDAN 4 preliminary approval from 2019, a Government of Kerala appointment of CIAL to manage the project in 2016, and a persistent policy case that has not yet translated into physical infrastructure.

Quick Overview: Bekal Airport

Bekal Airport Location: Kanniyamkundu Near Periya

The proposed site for Bekal Airport is at Kanniyamkundu village, approximately 7 kilometres from Periya town in Kasaragod district, Kerala’s northernmost district. The coordinates for the proposed site are approximately 12°25′30″N, 75°02′50″E — in the low-lying, moderately forested terrain of northern Kerala’s coastal hinterland.

Kasaragod district’s geographic position is the defining argument for the airport. The district has no airport of its own — the nearest commercial aviation options are Kannur International Airport (CNN) approximately 95 kilometres south, and Mangaluru International Airport (IXE) approximately 60 kilometres north across the Karnataka border. For a district of approximately 1.4 million people that is densely represented in the Gulf diaspora, this connectivity gap is a practical inconvenience that has sustained the airport proposal politically across successive Kerala government terms.

Bekal itself, approximately 12 to 15 kilometres from the proposed Periya site, is Kerala’s premier beach-and-fort destination in the north. Bekal Fort — a 17th-century laterite structure built by the Keladi Nayaka kingdom — is one of Kerala’s most photographed landmarks. The surrounding coastline, including Pallikere Beach and Kappil Beach, is part of a state-promoted tourism corridor. Bekal was included in Kerala Tourism’s Special Tourism Zone under central government support, which historically included the airport as a connectivity enabler.

Bekal Airport Code: No IATA, No ICAO

Bekal Airport has no assigned IATA code and no assigned ICAO code. Both designations are formally issued only after an aerodrome receives its DGCA aerodrome licence and commences operations. Neither condition has been met. The proposed airport has coordinates recorded in some aviation planning databases but no formal aviation registration.

Bekal Airport Terminal: A Proposed 80-Acre Airstrip in Planning Limbo

The project history for Bekal Airport spans more than a decade without resolution:

2016: The Government of Kerala appointed Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) — the PPP entity that operates Kochi Airport — to undertake the Bekal Airstrip development project. CIAL’s selection reflected Kerala’s confidence in the CIAL model for airport development using private participation.

2019: The Ministry of Civil Aviation gave preliminary approval for the Bekal Airstrip project under UDAN Round 4. The proposed site at Kanniyamkundu, approximately 7 km from Periya, was confirmed as covering 80 acres.

Post-2019: Despite the UDAN preliminary approval, the project stalled. Land acquisition — 80 acres of land across a populated area of northern Kerala — involves challenges consistent with land acquisition for infrastructure projects in Kerala generally: community consultation, compensation disputes, environmental assessments, and the competing demands on the same territory from agricultural and residential uses.

As of mid-2026: No construction has commenced. No DPR (Detailed Project Report) has been publicly finalised. No land acquisition has been completed. The airport remains in the same planning stage it occupied after the 2019 preliminary approval.

For Kasaragod residents, the practical aviation reality remains unchanged: Kannur International Airport (CNN) at approximately 95 km south, or Mangaluru Airport (IXE) at approximately 60 km north across the state border, serve as the functioning options. Kannur Airport itself notes on its website that Bekal Fort is 95 km from the airport, implicitly acknowledging the distance gap that Bekal Airport is meant to close.

Bekal Airport Connectivity: No Flights, Road and Rail Access to Kasaragod

By Air: No flights of any kind operate from Bekal Airport as no airport exists at the proposed site as of mid-2026.

For Kasaragod Air Travel: Mangaluru International Airport (IXE, approximately 60 km north) is the closer commercial option. Kannur International Airport (CNN, approximately 95 km south) is the nearest Kerala airport. Both are accessible by road in 1 to 1.5 hours.

By Road: Kasaragod city is on NH-66 (the coastal highway connecting Kerala and Karnataka), giving road access to Mangaluru to the north and Kannur to the south. Local buses and taxis connect Kasaragod to Bekal Fort (approximately 16 km) and to the proposed airport site near Periya.

By Rail: Kasaragod Railway Station is on the Shoranur-Mangaluru line of the Southern Railway, with regular train services to Mangaluru (approximately 1 hour), Kozhikode (approximately 3 hours), and Thiruvananthapuram (approximately 10 hours). Bekal Fort Railway Station is approximately 16 km from Kasaragod city, served by the same line.

Bekal Airport Amenities: None — Airport Does Not Exist

No amenities exist at Bekal Airport because the airport has not been built. The proposed 80-acre site at Kanniyamkundu is undeveloped land.

For travellers to the Bekal and Kasaragod region, accommodation ranges from international luxury resorts (Taj Bekal, The Lalit Resort and Spa Bekal) to mid-range and budget hotels near Bekal Fort and along the Kasaragod coastal strip. Ground transport within the district is by taxi, bus (KSRTC services are available), and auto-rickshaw.

FAQs: Bekal Airport

Q1. Does Bekal Airport have an IATA or ICAO code?

No. Bekal Airport has no assigned codes of any kind. It is a proposed, unbuilt airport. Both IATA and ICAO codes are issued after construction and licensing, neither of which has occurred.

Q2. What is the current status of Bekal Airport as of mid-2026?

The airport remains proposed and unbuilt. UDAN 4 preliminary approval was granted in December 2019. CIAL was appointed project developer in 2016. Land acquisition at the 80-acre Kanniyamkundu site has not been completed, and no construction has commenced.

Q3. Why does Kasaragod need its own airport?

Kasaragod district has approximately 1.4 million residents with significant Gulf diaspora representation but no airport within the district. The nearest commercial airports are Mangaluru IXE (~60 km, across the Karnataka border) and Kannur CNN (~95 km). The gap creates real connectivity inconvenience, especially for Gulf travel.

Q4. Who is developing Bekal Airport?

CIAL (Cochin International Airport Limited) was appointed by the Kerala government in 2016 to develop the airport. AAI was intended to develop the infrastructure and operate it.

Q5. What is the nearest currently functional commercial airport to Kasaragod?

Mangaluru International Airport (IXE) at approximately 60 km north across the Karnataka border is the closest. Kannur International Airport (CNN) at approximately 95 km south is the nearest Kerala airport.