Chennai: All domestic and international flights from Chennai, both day and night, will resume from Monday morning after partial day-time services operated on Sunday. "....availability of Chennai airport for all weather day and night operations for all flights for which domestic and international terminals will be available from 6 am of 7.12.2015," an Airport Authority of India statement said late on Sunday evening. This followed an inspection by DGCA for night operations, an AAI spokesman said.
The airport was shut down last on Tuesday night after heavy downpour flooded the runway and all other operating areas. After a review, technical and ferry flights were allowed from Saturday and the AAI had permitted day-time flights to operate from Sunday. An Air India passenger aircraft to Port Blair was the first flight to take off on Sunday morning.
Altogether five passenger flights, all of Air India, took off from or landed at Chennai Airport till 5 pm on Sunday. An Oman Air plane stranded at the Chennai airport departed for Muscat with two crew. Four ferry flights also took off or landed at the airport, AAI sources said.
A Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) has been issued with respect to availability of Chennai airport for all weather day and night operations. The airport's domestic and international terminals would be available for operations from 6 AM on Monday, according to AAI. NOTAM is a communication to airlines that informs about the safety and operational aspects, among others, at the airport.
Private carriers, Jet Airways and IndiGo, said they are working with the airport authorities to resume full operations from Chennai. Air India ferried nearly 600 passengers to and from Chennai airport through its five flights on Sunday. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) had decided to shut the airport till Sunday after heavy rains and subsequent flooding left the runway and nearby areas unviable for flight services.
AAI, which is managing the airport, on Saturday declared the runway fit for operating technical ferry and relief flights after an inspection by its staff. In a statement, IndiGo said it would operate more number of flights from Chennai tomorrow to Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad. It operated one service in Bangalore-Chennai-Mumbai-Delhi sector.
IndiGo is liaising with the local authorities, including AAI, to ensure all required protocols are followed for the resumption of full flight schedule, it added. Jet Airways operated a flight to Bangalore during the day. Four ferry flights that were parked at Chennai airport departed for Delhi, Mumbai and Port Blair on Saturday while one cargo flight Singcargo B747 departed for Singapore via Bangalore.
As many as 34 aircraft of various airlines were stranded at the airport when it was shut on December 2. On an average, Chennai airport handles 320 landings and departures. As many as 20 international airlines operate from the airport apart from most of the domestic carriers.
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