After closing down for two weeks due to the devastating floods in the coastal state of Kerala, Cochin International Airport commenced normal operations on Wednesday.
The ariport had to be shut on August 15, after it was flooded due to rains, causing widespread damage to the airport infrastructure, rendering it unsafe for flight operations.
The first aircraft, a domestic flight, touched down at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, airport officials said.
The airport authorities said that in a day or two, the airport would be return to eralier operational strength.
For the past three days, more than 1,000 people were engaged in putting the airport back in order, cleaning and repairing the systems which became non-functional after flood waters entered the complex.
According to Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL), the disaster has caused a loss of around Rs 300 crore to the airport. A temporary compound wall has been erected after the earlier one was washed away.
The airport was first closed on August 9, for a few hours, after which it was again shut on August 15.
The Cochin airport is the busiest of three airports in Kerala and handled 10 million passengers in 2017-18 fiscal.
IANS
