The first flight to the Kannur International Airport with expatriates will arrive from Dubai on Tuesday. The Air India Express flight, which will take off from Kannur at 10.30 a.m., will return with around 180 passengers from Dubai at 7.10 p.m.
In addition to the 109 passengers from Kannur, 47 from Kasaragod, 12 from Kozhikode, seven from Malappuram, three from Mahe, and one each from Wayanad and Thrissur will return.
V. Thulasidas, managing director, Kannur International Airport Limited (KIAL), said the district administration in association with the police and Health workers had put in place a comprehensive system for receiving, inspecting, and quarantining the passengers. Pregnant women, their partners, children below the age of 14, and those above 75 years of age will be sent to their homes, while those with symptoms will be shifted to hospitals and COVID Care Centres.
The passengers will be released in groups of 20. Health officials will then conduct a medical examination. Five special counters have been opened at the airport for the purpose. Those with COVID-19 symptoms will be shifted to a special observatory. Thereafter, they will be taken to hospitals in ambulances, Mr. Thulasidas added.
Elucidating further, he said special vehicles had been deployed to transport the other passengers to their homes. Separate KSRTC buses have been arranged for each district. Taxi services will also be available at the airport.
BSNL has opened a dedicated counter for passengers to pick up new SIM cards and activate old ones.
Sub Collectors Asif K. Yousuf, S. Ilyakia, and Assistant Collector Harris Rasheed were present during the trial run held at the airport on Monday.
