CHENNAI: DMK parliamentary party leader and Thoothukudi Lok Sabha MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi has urged the Union government to rename Tuticorin Airport as Thoothukudi Airport, in keeping with the officially adopted Tamil spelling of the district name.

In a letter to the Union Minister of Civil Aviation, Ms. Kanimozhi noted that the present name, “Tuticorin,” was a colonial-era anglicised version of the original Tamil name. The Tamil Nadu government had formally adopted the spelling “Thoothukudi” in 1998 to reflect the cultural and linguistic identity of the region.

“The continued use of ‘Tuticorin’ for the airport creates inconsistency. I have therefore urged that the airport too reflect this approved Tamil name,” she said.

She requested that the Ministry initiate the process of renaming and coordinate with the Airports Authority of India, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and international aviation bodies to ensure that the change is reflected across all records, signage and platforms.