Airlines may fly smaller aircraft to Kozhikode

Keralites working in the Gulf countries, to be hit by the 15-month-long partial shutdown of the Kozhikode international airport for runway repairs from May 1, may get some relief with the airlines getting ready for alternative arrangements.

The 26-year-old airport, one of the major gateways to the Gulf from India, will not allow wide-bodied aircraft (such as Boeing 747, 777) to land for eight months because of re-carpeting and strengthening of the runway. Also, after eight months, such aircraft will not be allowed to operate for eight hours every day for seven months.

This is going to cripple air traffic in the North Kerala region. Passengers’ associations and non-resident Keralites (NRK) organisations have urged the Airports Authority of India to make alternative arrangements.

According to reliable sources, Air India will move two of its Gulf schedules from Kozhikode to Cochin International Airport. These are the Kozhikode-Jeddah daily flight and the Kozhikode-Riyad four-times-a-week flight.

Air India Express, flying 186-seater smaller aircraft, will operate its schedules by changing their timings to suit the restrictions at the airport. Together, the two airlines currently carry about half of the passengers on the Gulf sector.

Etihad Airlines has reportedly sought permission to operate an additional daily flight using mid-size aircraft. Saudi Airlines and Emirates, which have not made their plans public as yet, are also expected to fly a few schedules using smaller aircraft or move a few of their Kozhikode schedules to Cochin airport.

Meanwhile, Jet Air is starting a new daily schedule to Dhammam from Kozhikode from March 15.

These arrangements are expected to mitigate the difficulties of the Gulf passengers. Kozhikode is one of the busiest international airports in the country and operates a large number of schedules to West Asia.

The scheduled partial shutdown for large-scale repairs, said to be necessitated by safety concerns, has drawn flak from politicians, overseas Malayali organizations, passengers’ associations and business leaders of Malabar. Pravasi organisations have pointed out that the repairs scheduled to begin on May 1 were at the most inappropriate time as it was the busiest season.

About 90 per cent of the traffic at Kozhikode is international. Because of summer vacations for schools and other educational institutions both in Kerala and the Gulf, thousands of families who have lined up travel plans would be hit. It would also cause huge troubles for those visiting Saudi Arabia for Haj and Umra pilgrimages.