Thiruvananthapuram Airport will shut for five hours on April 11: What should flyers do

From 4.45 pm to 9 pm on April 11, the Trivandrum International Airport will remain closed for a holy procession across its runway. It is to facilitate the 'Paikguni Arattu' procession of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple of the Kerala capital, and the shutdown has been a practice in the airport for decades, since 1932, when it was established. The international and domestic services for the duration are rescheduled. The airport said flyers should check with their respective airlines for the updated schedule.

The airport closes twice yearly to make way for the temple's processions. While in April the shutdown is for the Painkuni Arattu, the airport closes down around October - November for the Alpassi festival. When the airport was established in 1932, the then-erstwhile Travancore King Sree Chithira Thirunal had said that twice a year, it would reserve a few hours for 'Lord Padmanabha,' the titular deity of the royal family, after whom Thiruvananthapuram is named. 

The 'Painkuni Fest' is a grand 10-day festival of the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, and it features towering effigies of the Pandavas. On the 'Arattu' or final day of the fest, the idols of Krishna, Padmanabha and Narasimha, which are the deities of the temple, are taken on a grand procession to the Shanghumugham Beach of the region. The ceremonial head of the Travancore royal family leads it. The procession starts from the temple and can be attended by all devotees, including tourists, photographers and local people. However, only those of Hindu belief are allowed inside the Padmanabhaswamy temple. Men are expected to wear only a dhoti, and women, a sari or salwars.