I've had bigger (and that's NOT what she said!)

Outside of overseas travel, my work in India is normally in one of the metro cities such as DEL, BOM, MAA, HYD, BLR, and CCU. Or at least in one of the tier 2 cities like PNQ, COK, VTZ, and BBI. But a month or so back, I had the chance to visit Tuticorin (TCR) [IATA: TCR, ICAO: VO80]. So, check the map (click to enlarge) on the left, and you'll get an idea of exactly where it is. I initially thought it was the southernmost airport in India, till I realised TRV was a bit further south (but mind you, not by much!).

TCR is a new yet "quaint" airport, if that word can be applied here. They expanded The runway is oriented 10/28, and the airport itself only serves SpiceJet - one flight each to BLR and MAA. I was coming in from MAA, due south, and we banked right to land - at that time, there was a very clear view of the runway, but I didn't have my camera handy then.

The runway is all of 1351 meters long, and so the Bombardier Q400 Dash aircraft utilised it to the full. We turned back at the end of the runway.

Here's a view of the Air Traffic Control "Tower", one of the terminal building taken from the tarmac, and a view of both together - not too far apart, eh?

  

Technically, the apron area can hold two aircraft of the size of an ATR 72-500, and so possibly 2 Q400s as well. But then neither would be able to move! According to Wikipedia, the airport can hold 72 passengers at peak time!

That, btw, was my ride for the day

The terminal building has but two rooms! The picture below was shot from the tarmac just as I was about to enter the building. The TMB sign you see further on is the end, with a little vestibule leading to the exit. Naturally, no baggage belts here - they are transferred manually from the baggage cart and kept on the floor for pax to pick them up.

The most surprising bit was the parking lot - here's a picture, and to be honest, the place can accommodate 90-100 cars by my estimate. That's more than 1 per pax, for a full load on a Q400! Beat that ratio anywhere in the world!!!



Tuticorin itself isn't a bad place. A coastal town that once prided itself on the ability of some of the local communities to dive for and collect pearls. But due to some heavy industries operating in that area, it can get unbearably difficult to breathe at times. However, while Tuticorin itself doesn't offer much to look around, it is a convenient point to take a flight to, if you're looking at some nearby local travel locations that Tamil Nadu has to offer (and there's quite a lot of those!).

So the next time you plan a trip to South India, it may be useful to connect via TCR.