Cochin airport to open on August 29

An August 16 photo of the flooded airport.An August 16 photo of the flooded airport.

Kochi airport will resume flight operations on August 29, it said in a statement released on Wednesday. The decision was taken after a meeting with various stakeholders, including airlines and ground handling agencies on Wednesday.

The airport was shut on August 15 for flights after it was flooded due to heavy rains and efforts were being made to reopen by August 26.

The airport had said on Tuesday that it would resume operations on August 26.

“As central Kerala is yet to recover from post-flood trauma it is a daunting task to arrange for commutation, logistics of arranging catering items, which will have a cascading effect on passengers. In view of these apprehensions we will resume operations on August 29,” the airport said in a statement.

The heavy rains and floods have damaged the radar, navigation system, runway and passenger amenities and security equipment in the terminal building. Airport officials said that the losses are estimated to be at Rs 250 crore.

Kochi airport is the state’s biggest airport and sees more passenger traffic than the combined figures for Thiruvananthpuram and Kozhikode — the two other airports in the State.