Cochin International Airport To Suspend All Operations Till 26th August!

Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) has decided to suspend all flight operations at the airport till 26^th of August owing to heavy rains in the region.

This has led to all flights at the airport being cancelled and prompted airlines to make special arrangements for the passengers, including alternative flights to nearby airports.

The decision has been taken by the Civil Aviation Ministry and a NOTAM(Notice To Airmen) has been issued by the Air Navigation Services wing of Airports Authority of India (AAI).

Directorate General Of Civil Aviation(DGCA) has also announced measures to address the issues that have risen due to the suspension of flight operations to and from Cochin airport. They have advised airlines to cap the fare on Delhi-Thiruvananthapuram sector to Rs 10,000. It has also asked the airlines to keep the fares on other flights going to Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode in check.

The government has said that Thiruvananthapuram and Calicut airports are available for scheduled operations of the Cochin airport. For international operations, both immigration and customs facilities are available 24×7 at these airports.

Eight domestic airlines namely Air India, Air India Express, AirAsia India, Vistara, GoAir, IndiGo, Jet Airways, SpiceJet and 12 international airlines such as Oman Air, Saudia, FlyDubai, Jazeera Airways, Qatar Airways, Emirates, Malindo, AirAsia, Thai AirAsia, Scoot and Sri Lankan Airlines fly from the Cochin International Airport.

Flights of airlines such as Air Arabia, Emirates, Etihad, FlyDubai, Jazeera, Oman Air, Qatar, Saudia Airlines and SriLankan have been rescheduled for Thiruvananthapuram airport. Other international airlines such as Air Asia Berhad, Gulf Air, Kuwait Airlines, Malindo, Scoot, Silk Air and Thai AirAsia have suspended their flights to/from Cochin.

Among domestic carriers, Vistara, which only operated to Cochin airport in Kerala, has started special flights to Thiruvananthapuram. Domestic airlines have also offered to not charge rescheduling and cancellation fee for passengers booked to fly to or from Cochin International Airport.

Meanwhile, the Odisha government announced a financial assistance of Rs 5 crore for Kerala, where the death toll since August 8 has risen to 75.

Chief Minister of Odisha, Mr. Naveen Patnaik, has offered any other kind of support required to tackle the calamity, as Odisha has expertise in dealing with disasters.