DMK parliamentary party leader and Thoothukudi Lok Sabha MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi has written to the Union government urging that the Tuticorin Airport be renamed as Thoothukudi Airport, in line with the officially recognised Tamil spelling of the district.
In her letter to Union Civil Aviation Minister, Kanimozhi pointed out that the current name “Tuticorin” was a colonial-era anglicised version, whereas the Tamil Nadu government had formally adopted “Thoothukudi” as the official spelling in 1998.
“The continued use of ‘Tuticorin’ for the airport creates inconsistency and does not reflect the cultural and linguistic identity of the region. The airport too should carry the officially approved Tamil name,” she said.
She requested the Ministry to initiate the renaming process and coordinate with the Airports Authority of India, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and international aviation agencies to ensure uniformity across records, signage and platforms.