http://in.rediff.com/money/2005/jun/02spec.htm
Coming soon: Low-cost Kerala Airways George Iype | June 02, 2005 <The Cochin airport has many firsts to its credit. It is India's first aviation venture owned by the public. All the other airports and other infrastructural facilities are owned, managed and operated by the government (read civil aviation ministry, the Airports Authority of India and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation). ...The Rs 230 crore (Rs 2.30 billion) project became functional in a record time of six years... CIAL has seen its operational revenue increase from Rs 56.8 crore (Rs 568 million) in 2002-03 to Rs 79.3 crore (Rs 793 million) for the year 2003-04.The airport earned a net profit after tax of Rs 21.1 crore (Rs 211 million) during the year 2003-04, up from Rs 12.5 crore (Rs 125 million) in 2002-03. Leading foreign airlines, especially to the Gulf region, take off from the Cochin airport. In 2004-05, CIAL crossed the one million mark in international passengers and nearly 6 lakh (600,000) domestic travellers....Built on a 1,300-acre plot surrounded by a lush green landscape, the Cochin airport boasts of India's second longest runway. Work for a new runway will also start soon.> ------------------ In comparsion, Bangalore International Airport and Hyderabad International Airport have involved, among other things, acquisitions of 4-5 thousand acres of land, three to four times what seems sufficient in CIAL's case.
