Monsoon havoc in Kerala which caused 92 deaths till Thursday has largely affected the flight operations with Cochin International Airport closed due to flood. Civil aviation regulator DGCA said it has set up a control room to monitor the flood situation and distress caused by it to air passengers.
"The Cochin International Airport Ltd has informed that due to rains, the airport is not available up to 2 pm on August 26. Therefore, Air Navigation Services wing of Airports Authority of India (AAI) has issued NOTAM (notice to airmen) till the date and time mentioned above. As a result, aviation operations and flights will remain suspended till then," said R.N.Choubey, civil aviation secretary, after attending a meeting with DGCA authorities.
"The situation is being constantly reviewed in consultation with the state government," Choubey said. A high-priority meeting was called by the civil aviation secretary on Thursday seeking attendance from the DGCA at various levels and also Airport Authority of India personnel.
After the meeting, the DGCA informed that it has formed a control room from Thursday to constantly monitor the situation at flood affected airports of Kerala. The DGCA says it had set up a control room on August 15 itself and had been monitoring the situation 24x7.
"A regular briefing has been given to all our employees and alerts have been issued from time to time by the control room in last 24 hours," said Atul Maindola, deputy director at Directorate of Air Transport in DGCA.
"Flight operation diversion will not be an issue as many flights have already been suspended by airlines for August 16,17 and 18. We are ensuring that other navigational aids and runways remain operational at other airports like Thiruvananthapuram, Calicut which are still operational," said Maindola, who is directly supervising the control room.
The control room is currently handling complaints of re-scheduling of flights and high ticket prices prevailing in the Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi sector. The civil aviation ministry had earlier asked airlines to keep their ticket prices below Rs 10,000 after they shot up to Rs 15,000 to Rs 38,000.
"We have requested airlines to adopt a fair pricing and I think most have complied with that," said Choubey, talking to reporters. On Thursday, a check on flight prices showed comparatively benign ticket prices ranging from Rs 7,000 - Rs 9,500.
"All scheduled domestic airlines have been advised to ensure that airfares for flights to/from Trivandrum and Calicut airports in Kerala are kept at an optimal level proportionate to sector distance so that travelling public is not inconvenienced," read a statement from the civil aviation ministry.
Flights of foreign airlines Air Arabia, Emirates, Etihad, Fly Dubai, Jazeera, Oman Air, Qatar, Saudia Airlines and Srilankan have been rescheduled for Thiruvananthapuram airport. Other foreign airlines like Air Asia Berhad, Gulf Air, Kuwait Airlines, Malindo, Scoot, Silk Air and Thai Air Asia have suspended their flights to/from Kochi.
"The control room has spoken to Cochin airport for the latest update on Cochin weather. It has been informed water level inside the airport continue to rise and heavy rain is predicted till Saturday (August 18)," said a DGCA official.
A red alert has been sounded in the 14 districts in the state. According to the weather department, heavy rainfall accompanied by gusty winds with a speed reaching 60 kmph, is expected in Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Idukki, Ernakulam, Thrissur and Kozhikode districts in the next 24 hours.