Air India to resume jumbo flights from Calicut

KOZHIKODE: After a lapse of five years, Air India will resume operation of jumbo service from Calicut International Airport at Karippur on Jeddah route, according to reports.

Airports Authority of India (AAI) had given approval to the national flag carrier to operate direct flights initially twice a week on Monday and Saturday. The Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had already approved the proposal of Air India to recommence flight operations under Code E. Air India will deploy B747-400, a wide-bodied jet airliner, capable of carrying 423 passengers and crew. In the beginning there will be only two services per week. The DGCA gave a No-objection Certificate (NOC) to Air India after the airline conducted a safety assessment and submitted a report in August last year.

Flights from Jeddah commencing journey at 11.15pm on Sundays and Fridays will reach Calicut airport at 7.05 next days. The return flights from Calicut are on Mondays and Saturdays. These flights operating at 5.30pm will arrive in Jeddah at 9.15pm.

Sanction for commencing jumbo services was received in July 2019. Parking of big aircraft for more than 10 hours would affect other flight operations, it was felt. Permission was put on hold. Now that airport director has given the green signal the flights would resume from Monday.

Saudi Airlines had started jumbo services from Calicut on Dec.5, 2018.

The operation of wide-bodied aircraft was banned at the airport from May 2015 in the wake of the Court of Inquiry report on the accident involving an Air India flight at Mangaluru in May 2010.

Various passenger organisations are planning reception to celebrate the event.

Recently, Southern Railways launched Rent a Car facility at four railway stations in Kerala. The scheme would be extended to other stations if the pilot project is found successful. The four railway stations are: Trivandrum Central, Ernakulam Town, Ernakulam Junction, and Thrissur. Rajesh Chandran, Divisional Commercial Manager of Trivandrum division and Ajay Kaushik, station director flagged off the first service at the station at 11am on Wednesday.