Kerala’s airspace has become active again with the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) granting permission to operate special flights to clear stranded passengers and cargo flights to ferry medical supplies within the country and perishables to West Asia.
Domestic and foreign carriers have already commenced cargo operations as the airspace has been closed for domestic and international passenger flight operations till April 14.
Emirates, which has secured permission to operate flights from Dubai to uplift cargo from nine airports in the country, including Thiruvananthapuram and Cochin, till April 12, and Spicejet are in the forefront of operations to Kerala.
Emirates and SpiceJet have started shipping cargo from Thiruvananthapuram and Cochin.
The other day, Transaviaexport Airlines used a Boeing 747 freighter to take 35 lakh sterile surgical gloves to Belgrade. SpiceJet also flew 34 tonnes of cargo from Kochi to West Asia.
Close on Air India’s chartered flight operations from here to Frankfurt, Russia, the Maldives, and Malaysia are considering special flights to clear tourists stranded here.
“Enquiries are coming for operating special and cargo flights and all have been asked to seek the DGCA nod,” Director of the Thiruvananthapuram international airport C.V. Ravindran told The Hindu.
Air India and its subsidiary Alliance Air have been tasked by the Centre to ferry medical supplies.
