Kerala rains: Kochi International Airport suspends all operations till Sunday due to heavy waterlogging

Kochi: The Kochi International Airport on Friday suspended all operations till Sunday as the runway area in the airport is waterlogged due to flood, the airport authorities said.

“Kochi Airport closes operations till 1500 hrs of Sunday (11/08/2019),” a statement issued by the airport said.

A Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) spokesman said the runway area of the airport is waterlogged due to the flood.

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On Thursday night, the CIAL had announced the suspension of flight operations till 9 am on Friday as a precautionary measure in view of heavy rains lashing the region. Flights coming to the airport were diverted.

The operations were suspended as there was a rise in water level in the Periyar river and a canal adjacent to the airport due to heavy rains.

Heavy rains have been battering Kerala for the past few days and claiming eight lives on Thursday, bringing back the memories of the worst floods in August last year.

The airport was rendered non-functional for a fortnight in August 2018 due to inundation.

It had suffered damage to infrastructure, including a 2.6 km long wall that collapsed after the Periyar river overflowed. The estimated loss was then put between Rs 220-250 crore.