CIAL launches multiple forums to keep employees engaged

Cochin International Airport, the world's first solar-powered airport, has launched an Employee Engagement Forum to coordinate arts & cultural activities, promote charity, sports & adventure, and knowledge sharing.

After achieving many firsts both in aviation sector and airport operations, Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL), that runs the country’s first greenfield airport, has now embarked on a new programme aimed at keepings its vast employee base engaged through multifarious activities.

As part of the initiative named the Employee Engagement Forum, CIAL had launched forums for promoting charity, sports and adventure, and knowledge sharing. The latest of the forums for promoting culture was launched by CIAL Managing Director S. Suhas on Tuesday.

The forum aims at coordinating the arts and cultural activities of the employees and hosting cultural fests for passengers. A Kathakali performance by artistes from Kalamandalam and led by an employee of the cargo section and a Kathakali artiste was staged in the courtyard of the first terminal.

“Under the charity forum, we plan to build houses for the homeless in the vicinity of the airport, while a blood donation camp had already been held. The knowledge sharing forum aims at hosting discussions by experts and setting up a library at the airport,” said an airport spokesperson.

Cochin International Airport, the world’s first airport to run fully on solar energy, had achieved the milestone of producing 25 crore units of electricity, thus helping eliminate 1.6 lakh tonnes of carbon footprint last year. The solar energy production was in addition to CIAL’s hydroelectric project at Arippara in Kozhikode, where a run-of-the-river project had been set up to produce about 14 million units of power annually.

CIAL had set up a 100-kW solar farm on an experimental basis in 2013 as its first step towards turning into a fully solar-powered airport. The airport was able to achieve the status of a fully solar-powered institution in 2015 with a production of 13.1 MW.

Besides, the airport had also commissioned a 12-MW plant at Payyannur in Kannur district. The total renewable energy production capacity under the airport authority had touched 50 MW last year, making it the second largest power producer in the State after the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB).