In a vivid reminder that culture and aviation still intersect, Thiruvananthapuram International Airport in Kerala suspended all flight movements from 4 pm to 9 pm on 20 October 2026 so that the centuries-old ‘Alpassi Arattu’ procession of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple could march across the runway to the Arabian Sea. Airport operator TIAL issued a NOTAM in advance, and carriers rescheduled or combined services to Chennai, Dubai and Kuala Lumpur. The ritual, conducted twice a year since well before the airport was built in 1932, involves deities being carried to the coast for a ceremonial bath led by the Travancore royal family. While locals cherish the tradition, business travellers caught unaware faced missed connections and extra overnight stays. For mobility planners the episode underscores the need to track local-festival NOTAMs, especially at regional Indian gateways where cultural events can still override operational norms. Travel-risk teams should add the March-April Painkuni festival and the October-November Alpassi festival to their disruption calendars and build buffer time into itineraries.
Source: The Print / PTI
