One such story is right in the heart of Kollam.
Today, Asramam Maidan is a familiar open space in the city. But nearly a century ago, this very ground had a very different identity.
It was Quilon Aerodrome — Kerala’s first aerodrome.
In the early days of aviation, flying was still a rare and extraordinary experience. Aircraft landed on the open grounds of Asramam, at a time when there were no terminals, no control towers and no departure lounges.
Just an open ground, a prepared landing area and, according to historical accounts, a windsock raised on a tall wooden mast to signal the arrival of an aircraft.
And when an aircraft arrived, people came to watch.
For a city accustomed to ships, trains and roads, seeing an aircraft descend from the sky must have been extraordinary.
Historical accounts describe chartered aircraft, including Avro aircraft, arriving at Quilon with passengers travelling towards Travancore’s capital by road.
The aerodrome eventually lost its importance after the opening of Thiruvananthapuram Airport in 1932. The airfield disappeared, but Asramam Maidan remained.
And perhaps, that is where the story becomes interesting again.
A forgotten story waiting to take off again
What if we stopped looking at Quilon Aerodrome simply as a piece of history?
What if we looked at it as a tourism opportunity?
Kollam has an extraordinary collection of stories—from its maritime heritage and Ashtamudi Lake to its railway history, cashew industry, literature, culture and landscapes.
Quilon Aerodrome can become another doorway into that story.
Not by recreating an airport.
But by bringing the memory of flight back into the city.
A space where Kollam remembers its first flight
As a designer, I imagine a dedicated Quilon Aerodrome Heritage Experience at Asramam.
Not necessarily a conventional museum filled with objects behind glass.
A place where the story itself becomes the experience.
Imagine walking into a space where the first thing you see is a simple paper-crafted aircraft made from reproduced old newspaper pages.
Just one possibility.
The paper aircraft is only an example of how the story could be brought alive. We can ideate any number of creative execution ideas—from simple and economical installations to more immersive experiences—depending on the available space, budget and objectives.
The possibilities are endless.
History can become an installation. A newspaper can become a sculpture. A windsock can become an interactive experience. An old photograph can become a story wall. A runway can become a visual journey.
The idea is not to build something expensive for the sake of it.
The idea is to find the right creative expression for the story, the place and the budget.
The experience could unfold through several layers:
01 — THE FIRST FLIGHT
A visual timeline introducing visitors to aviation’s arrival in Kollam and the story of Quilon Aerodrome.
02 — LOOK UP!
An immersive recreation of an aircraft arrival.
A windsock rises.
A distant aircraft sound begins.
Visitors look towards the sky.
The story comes alive.
03 — THE AERODROME
A scaled landscape model showing what Asramam may have looked like when the aerodrome was operational.
The runway.
The open ground.
The aircraft parking area.
The surrounding landscape.
04 — KOLLAM LOOKS TO THE SKY
A large archival-style wall telling the human story—the crowds who came simply to see an aeroplane.
Because the real story isn’t only about aircraft.
It is about people’s sense of wonder.
05 — FROM QUILON TO THE WORLD
A visual journey connecting Kollam’s early aviation story with Kerala’s extraordinary relationship with air travel and migration.
A small aerodrome in Kollam.
A state that would eventually connect millions of Malayalis to cities across the world.
06 — THE FUTURE TAKES OFF
A space for children and young visitors.
Paper aircraft workshops.
Model aircraft.
Flight experiments.
Design and engineering activities.
The story begins with history and ends with possibility.
From forgotten aerodrome to tourism identity
Imagine a visitor arriving in Kollam and seeing a simple sign:
QUILON AERODROME
Kerala’s first aerodrome.
A paper aircraft points the way.
A short walk takes them through a timeline.
An old newspaper headline tells the story.
A windsock moves gently in the breeze.
A soundscape recreates the anticipation of an aircraft arrival.
And suddenly, a familiar maidan becomes something else.
A place with a memory.
That is the power of design.
We don’t always need to build something massive to create a destination.
Sometimes, we simply need to make people see what has been there all along.
✈️ Quilon Aerodrome
When the skies first opened over Kollam.
And perhaps, almost a century later, it is time for Kollam to look up again.
A designer’s thought
For me, the opportunity is not to create another tourist attraction.
It is to create a new layer of meaning for an existing place.
A space that connects:
History + Design + Aviation + Education + Tourism + Public Memory
And gives Kollam something that can become uniquely its own:
A landmark that tells the story of the first time Kollam looked towards the sky.
— Prakash Varma
ideaFactory
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