Kerala rains: Kochi airport flooded, operations suspended till August 11

The Cochin International Airport has been temporarily closed down due to waterlogging and rising water level in the Periyar river. Flight operations will be suspended till Sunday at 3 pm.

Kochi:The Flight operations at the international airport here have been suspended till Sunday (August 11th) 3 PM as floodwaters inundated the apron area (parking area).

"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 water logged due to the flood.

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 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.