Willingdon Island is significant as the home for the Port of Kochi as well as the Kochi Naval Base, the Southern Naval Command of the Indian Navy, Plant Quarantine station, Custom House Cochin [2] and Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, a constituent unit of Indian Council of Agricultural Research.

A port hostel, called Malabar Hotel, was built for passengers who wished to rest on the island.

The Royal Air Force quickly found a use for this flat expanse of conveniently located virgin territory, and constructed a large aerodrome.

The Malabar Hotel provided quarters for all the wartime staff and the building gained a new administrative block next door to it.

Control of the transport hub was transferred from the British Empire to India in 1947 when the latter gained independence.

Apart from these, the Island has a dry dock, a fire station, tank farms, a hospital[9] and places of worship.

[10] Cochin Chamber of Commerce and Industries is strategically placed here, as is the Government of India Tourist Information Office in the vicinity of the airport.

A number of port offices, branches of national and international banks, travel agencies, souvenir shops, and warehouses.

Many passenger boats operate daily to the island from Mattancherry, Fort Kochi, Vypin, and Marine Drive.