Sabarimala airport: HC allows state appeal, orders status quo on land

Kochi: The high court admitted an appeal filed by the state govt challenging the order of a single bench that quashed the land acquisition proceedings for Sabarimala greenfield airport and directed that the status quo be maintained with respect to the property till March 4.A bench comprising Justices Devan Ramachandran and M B Snehalatha issued the interim order in the appeal against the single bench's judgment dated Dec 19, 2025. In that judgment, the court had set aside the notification inviting individual objections to the acquisition of land for the proposed airport and had partially quashed the social impact assessment (SIA) report and the expert group's recommendation report.While allowing the petition filed by Ayana Charitable Society of Thiruvalla (formerly known as Gospel for Asia), the single bench had held that the proposed acquisition violated the provisions of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013, which mandates the acquisition of only the absolute minimum land necessary for a project.The state had proposed acquiring 2,570 acres for the airport, including 2,263 acres of Cheruvally Estate. HC had noted that the minimum land requirement for an international airport capable of handling large aircraft such as a Boeing 777 is approximately 1,200 acres. Although the state argued that a larger extent was required for future development, the single bench observed that SIA report and the expert committee report lacked specific details regarding the land required for the existing infrastructure, the nature of proposed future developments and the land necessary for such expansion.In the appeal, govt submitted that SIA report had recorded that the proposed airport is planned as an international airport capable of handling ICAO Code-E category aircraft, requiring a runway of 3,500m, along with mandatory airside facilities such as runway end-safety areas, taxiways, an apron, lighting systems and other operational infrastructure. The state further contended that additional land beyond Cheruvally Estate is necessary to meet runway length and safety standards. It also argued that the project will be developed in accordance with Greenfield Airport Policy, 2008 and such modern airports require over 2,000 acres.