Cochin airport suspends operations till Saturday amid heavy rainfall

The Cochin International Airport on Wednesday suspended all flight operations till Saturday as water entered the airport area following continuous rains and the opening of dam shutters in the Periyar river.

Weathermen have warned of heavy rains accompanied with gusty winds with speed reaching 60 kmph in all the 14 districts of the state.

"Kochi Airport operations have been temporarily suspended till Saturday 2 pm as the inflow of water is still on a rising trend. We are working hard to drain out the storm water," an airport spokesperson said.

Suspension of operations created problems for passengers who had already reached the airport to catch flights.

They complained of not getting any assistance from any authorities.

The Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL), which decided to suspend the arrival operations at 4 am to 7 am on Wednesday as a precautionary measure, had earlier said the airport would be shut till 2 pm.

It later issued another advisory saying the operations have been suspended till Saturday afternoon.

The decision was taken after shutters of the Idamalayar and Cheruthoni dams, part of Idukki reservoir, were opened last evening to release excess water.

The airport is situated close to Periyar river bank.

The arrival operations at the airport were suspended for two hours on August 9 in view of possible inundation in the airport area.

The operations were resumed later on.

Torrential rains, overflowing rivers and a series of landslides have claimed 44 lives in Kerala.