Dubai: Cochin International Airport (CIAL) announced on Saturday that they would resume operations sooner than expected, by 12pm (IST) - 10.30am in UAE - on Sunday.
Initially the airport had been expected to start operations by 3pm on Sunday, after an announcement made on Friday. There had been flight cancellations, diversions and delays due to the closure, following flooding at the airport premises.
Restoration work to pump out stagnant water from the airport is continuing. Officials have reportedly been using 10 motors to pump water out of the premises.
Up to 32 flights, to and from, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah to Kochi were affected due to the heavy rains in Kerala. The rains and consequent flooding issues also coincided with the heavy Eid Al Adha travel season to and from the state.
The South Indian state is the worst hit in this year's monsoon floods in the country, claiming over 42 lives in Kerala alone. The official death toll in the floods across India on Saturday has risen to 95.
Following the latest update from CIAL, Indigo Airlines tweeted that it was resuming its flight operations to and from Kochi. The airline advised passengers to check for updates on flight schedules.
- With inputs from Anjana Kumar, Web Reporter
