The Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL), which operates Kerala's biggest and busiest airport at Nedumbassery near Kochi, claims to have streamlined vehicle parking on its premises with the introduction of FASTag and Smart Parking System.

According to CIAL, it has run a trial phase that showed the efficiency of the system, which is set to become operational on December 1.

CIAL said in a press release on Wednesday that with the introduction of 'cutting-edge technology', it aims to reduce waiting time at the entry-exit points to vehicle parking from approximately 2 minutes to an impressive '8 seconds'.

CIAL claims to have a parking capacity for 2,800 vehicles, both at its domestic and international terminals. The FASTag system will be used for parking as well as entry to the airport. However, a lane dedicated to vehicles without FASTag (which is an electronic toll collection system operated by the National Highways Authority of India) will be used temporarily, said CIAL.

“There has been a long-time demand both from local authorities and the police that the commercial taxi services, now parking on the roadside, to the airport, should be given parking facilities on the airport premises.

"In view of this, additional parking space has been developed and a decision has been taken to collect entry fees from all taxis coming to the airport,” CIAL said in its release.
For taxis, Rs 60 is the entry fee while the parking charge is Rs 80 for an hour (including entry fee).

How it works
According to CIAL, the key features of its 'FASTag and Smart Parking’ system will be a Parking Management System (PMS) aimed at streamlining parking operations for optimal efficiency as well as a Parking Guidance System (PGS) to ensure smooth navigation during entry-exit and inside the parking facility.

“There is also a Parking Slot Counting System that features the ‘slot count’, that is it gives real-time updates on available parking spaces. The Automatic Number Plate Reader (ANPR) integrated with the ticketing system gives precise counting of the vehicle’s entry time.

“In addition to this, there are pay-on-foot stations, the automatic mechanism for parking payment which can be operated by the passengers themselves. Passengers can book parking slots as per their convenience effortlessly through a customised mobile portal available through CIAL mobile application,” CIAL said.

The parking management system is equipped with 900 Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras strategically installed for meticulous oversight and efficient management, CIAL said in its release.