THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
Domestic air services resumed in Kerala on Monday with Air Asia operating the first flight from Bengaluru to Kochi airport.
Airport sources said 42 passengers arrived by the flight from the garden city at 7 am and the state government guidelines were followed. On its return journey, 86 passengers travelled in the flight.
At least 16 flights, including from Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad, are expected to be operated to Kochi airport on the inaugural day of the resumption of domestic air services in the country after two months of lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus. While the Mumbai-Kozhikode flight landed at Karipur airport, the Kozhikode-Bengaluru flight has been re-scheduled.
At the Thiruvananthapuram airport, an Air India flight from Delhi is expected at 2.15 pm, besides three Indigo flights from Chennai, Bengaluru and Kannur will land here this evening, Airport DirectorC V Ravindran said. The Thiruvananthapuram-Kozhikode flight, scheduled to leave at 8.30 am was rescheduled for Tuesday.
A flight from Mumbai landed at the Karipur airport this morning and returned and another will leave for Bengaluru this evening. As per the state government guidelines, all domestic passengers would have to follow 14-day home quarantine from the date of their arrival to the state and those found symptomatic would be sent to either COVID Care Centre or Hospital.
They also have to register their details with the Covid19 Jagratha web portal. However, those coming to the state for a day or two on business visit do not have to undergo the quarantine.