As Chennai turned into an island in the last two days, with airports, railways lines and roads shut, Air India had on Wednesday night decided to send a test flight to Chennai naval base to check if that can used for rescue operations.
Air India commercial test flight Airbus 320 had made a successful landing at the Arrakonam Naval Air Station INS Rajali at 8:37 pm on Wednesday, the national carrier confirmed through its Twitter account.
However, an Air India spokesperson told BusinessLine that no passengers have been ferried or rescued so far. Air India is awaiting approvals to start operations from the naval base till the time Chennai international airport is shut.
Heavily flooded Chennai International Airport will remain shut till at least Sunday. Thousands of passengers, including foreign nationals, are stuck in Chennai due to the heavy downpour. INS Rajali is expected to be used as a makeshift airport in the meanwhile.