Kochi Airport resumes operations

Kochi: Kochi International Airport, which was closed for traffic since yesterday following waterlogging on the runway, resumed operations on Tuesday evening with Air India Express (AIE) operating its Kochi-Doha-Bahrain flight.

AIE sources said one of their three flights, stationed in Thiruvananthapuram, was brought to Kochi by 1520 hrs for operating the Kochi-Doha-Bahrain flight via Kozhikode, which will be carrying 170 passengers and crew. The airlines will operate its second flight at 1720 hrs by bringing in another flight from the state capital to operate the scheduled Kochi-Abu Dhabi service. With this all AIE services would become normal, the sources said. Indigo Airlines will operate its Mumbai-Kochi flight this evening, airport sources said. Airport Director AKC Nair told PTI the safety team of Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) had inspected the airport and cleared it for operations following which the first flight landed at around 1520 hrs. Parking and Taxi bays were washed and cleaned this morning and steps have been taken to ensure that such a situation does not arise, he said. Flight operations had been hit after the runway was closed yesterday as water inundated the runway, taxi bay and parking bay. Opening the shutters of Idamalayar Dam had led to a rise in the water level of Periyar river following which there was a reverse flow through the drainages of the airport which flows into the Periyar. This was the first time that the airport runway was closed. CIAL Managing Director VJ Kurien said the runway lights were opened and cleaned before airport operations resumed. Sri Lankan Airlines Colombo-Kochi flight landed at the airport shortly after the airport was opened for traffic. Among the International flights expected tonight are Air India`s Sharjah-Kochi flight, Saudi Arabian Airlines Chennai-Kochi-Riyad-Jeddah flight and Emirates Airlines two flights on Dubai-Kochi-Dubai route, airport sources said. PTI