India’s Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) in Kochi, Kerala, has resumed flight operations after being shut for two days due to heavy rain flooding the runway.
The operations had been stopped on 9 August after waterlogging in the runway prompted officials to suspend services.
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During the past week, the southern state of India has been experiencing severe rainstorms, which have caused the water levels in the River Periyar to rise.
An official of CIAL told The Economic Times that a Kochi-bound Abu Dhabi flight landed at the airport at 12:15pm.
This was the first flight to land at the Kochi Airport after the shutdown.
It was also informed that the check-in had started at 9am in both domestic and international airports.
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By GlobalDataA CIAL spokesperson has been quoted by The Hindu saying: “Ferry operation was successfully carried out. Six out of eight stranded aircraft departed, while the remaining two will fly to their destinations tomorrow as scheduled services.”
The spokesperson also stated that Terminal 3 was the most affected and that Terminal 1 was only partially affected.
This is the second year in a row that Kerala has received heavy rains that caused flooding in many parts of the state. Last year, Kochi Airport was shut for 15 days due to flooding.
Last month, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) ordered the operators of major Indian airports to acquire disabled aircraft recovery kits (DARK) after heavy rain affected operations at Mumbai Airport.
To avoid such incidents from occuring in the future, the DGCA ordered the airport operators of Bengaluru, New Delhi, and Mumbai to acquire DARK.
