Over 1,000 domestic air passengers travel via CIAL

Over 1,000 domestic passengers--both arrival and departure--travelled via Cochin international airport on Monday as domestic air operations commenced in the country after two months of COVID-19 lockdown.

"Total domestic passenger estimate today at CIAL (both arrival and departure) is 1,050," the Cochin International Airport Limited spokesman said in a communication in the evening.

The CIAL official confirmed eight arrivals and nine departure services at Kochi connecting the sectors, including Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Pune, Delhi, Chennai and Mumbai.

Three flights were cancelled, he said. An Air Asia flight from Bengaluru was the first flight to land at Kochi airport on Monday. Airport sources said 42 passengers arrived by the first flight from the garden city at 7 am and the state government guidelines were followed. On its return journey, 86 passengers travelled in the flight.

While the Mumbai-Kozhikode flight landed at Karipur airport, the Kozhikode-Bengaluru flight has been re-scheduled.

Domestic flight operations got underway at three other airports in Kerala including Kannur, Karipur and Thiruvananthapuram, officials said.

As per the state government guidelines, all domestic passengers will have to follow 14-day home quarantine from the date of their arrival to the state and those found symptomatic would be sent to either a COVID Care Centre or a hospital.

They also have to register their details with the Covid19Jagratha web portal.

However, those coming to the state for a day or two on business visit do not have to undergo the quarantine.