With domestic flight services in the country partially resuming, Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) has announced the operation of 113 flights in a week.
It was on Monday that the domestic passenger flight services in the country resumed for the first time since the commencement of lockdown. The Union Aviation Ministry had given permission for the airlines companies to resume 30% of their operations.
The Kochi airport, which is located in the central Kerala district of Ernakulam, is one of the busiest airports in Kerala. On Monday, a total of 17 flights - eight arrival and nine departures - operated in CIAL, which handled over 13,300 passengers.
However, on Monday, seven flights were cancelled, including three departures and four arrivals, while on Tuesday three flights were cancelled.
As part of the first phase of operations from May 25 to June 30, there will be flight services to and from Kochi and Agatti in Lakshadweep, Bengaluru, Kozhikode, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kannur, Mumbai, Mysore and Pune.
Airlines that will be operating from Kochi are Air Asia, Air India, Alliance Air, Indigo, Spicejet, Vistara and Air India Express.
The airport officials have released a set of guidelines to follow foolproof COVID-19 protocols. Some of the important ones are as follows:
Passengers should report in the terminal at least two hours before the departure. After web check in, passengers should wear face masks while coming to the terminal. Before reaching the boarding gate, airlines will hand over the passengers a kit consisting of face shields, mask and sanitiser to be used during travel.
As part of maintaining the COVID-19 protocol, CIAL has automated systems for check in procedure, safety checks and identification procedure, says a statement from CIAL.
There will be two rounds of thermal screening - one near the departure gate of the terminal and the other just before the passenger boards the flights. Those with high temperatures or other symptoms will be led to an isolation facility and will be transported to a hospital.
All passengers arriving in domestic flights to Kerala airports are required to mandatorily undergo home quarantine for 14 days. The passengers will first have to register in COVID19 Jagratha portal, and if the local body officials have not updated whether the person is eligible to undergo home quarantine or not - based on inspection of their houses - during the time passengers land in the airport, they will have to undergo institutional quarantine.
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