CHENNAI: The Union government has approved renaming the English name of Tuticorin Airport as 'Thoothukudi Airport,' Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu announced. said a Maalaimalar report.
The airport located at Vagaikulam in Thoothukudi district was inaugurated in 1992 and has been widely known by the colonial-era English name 'Tuticorin Airport'.
The name 'Tuticorin' dates back to the British colonial period. For several years, various groups and residents had been demanding that the airport reflect the original Tamil name of the city Thoothukudi in English as well.
Union Minister of State L Murugan and several public representatives had submitted representations to the Civil Aviation Ministry seeking the name change.
Following the approval, the airport will now be officially identified as Thoothukudi Airport in national and international aviation records. Residents and stakeholders in the district have welcomed the move, saying it restores the city’s original identity.
Thoothukudi, one of the major industrial hubs in southern Tamil Nadu, has strong connectivity through air, sea, rail and road transport and continues to witness rapid development.