Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 31 (PTI) Top executives of Indian and international airlines along with the local industry body are coming together on Friday to brainstorm over the untapped potential of the five southernmost districts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

These districts in the two states are touted as an emerging economic powerhouse and the summit is expected to evolve strategies to enhance air connectivity to meet the future growth of the region.

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Organised by Trivandrum Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TCCI) here, the 'Trivandrum Connectivity Summit' will see attendance from senior officials of around 30-plus airlines, including Air India, IndiGo, SpiceJet, Vistara, Jet Airways, Emirates, Lufthansa, Air Arabia, Flydubai, Air Asia, Qatar Airways, Sri Lankan Airlines, Maldivian Airlines, Scoot and Akasa Air.

Congress leader and local MP Shashi Tharoor will chair the one-day summit, which is primarily aimed at evolving a comprehensive strategy to enhance air connectivity to and from the State Capital Region (SCR), a TCCI release said here.

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Co-hosted by Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, Trivandrum Agenda Task Force (TATF) and 'Awake Trivandrum', the summit will be held on Friday at a private hotel in the state capital.

"The southern tip of India is brisk with economic activity, and is already on the cusp of a fast-paced transformation driven by ongoing big-ticket infrastructure projects. Focus on the summit will be the State Capital Region (SCR) - Thiruvananthapuram, along with Kollam and Pathanamthitta districts, southern Tamil Nadu comprising Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli, which together hold immense potential cutting across domains," Tharoor told a press conference here on Wednesday.

Noting that connectivity is a big challenge in the southern region, Tharoor said Thiruvananthapuram is a saleable proposition considering its tourism and travel opportunities.

State ministers, Members of Parliament from the region, top bureaucrats, business leaders, industry bodies, and prominent citizenry are among the select invitees.

"Increased connectivity is inevitable to realise the true potential that the 78-km-long Outer Area Growth Corridor (OAGC), next phase development of Technopark, creation of a knowledge economy through Life Sciences Park and International Virology Institute, opening of large commercial outlets like those of Lulu Mall and Taurus, and Vizhinjam International Motherport, among others," said S N Raghuchandran Nair, President of TCCI.

He said this is the first time industry and citizens are coming together to organise a connectivity summit in the country. "This is just the beginning and more such activities will be conducted in future."

"The proposed IT Park at Kanyakumari, ISRO's new satellite launch pad at Tirunelveli, Trivandrum-Tirunelveli Industrial Corridor, etc., will boost traffic through the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport. Kerala tourism sector, which is in a revival mode post COVID-19, will add to the numbers," he added.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)