PM Narendra Modi and Cochin International Airport were awarded the UN's highest environmental honour, 'the Champions of the Earth' on September 26, 2018. Cochin International Airport was also honoured with the award in the category of Entrepreneurial Vision, for its leadership in the use of sustainable energy, along with four other environmental change makers.

Champions of the Earth, the UN’s highest environmental honour, celebrate outstanding figures from the public and private sectors and from the civil society whose actions have had a transformative positive impact on the environment.