Flight operations during the day-break hours at the Cochin International Airport were thrown into complete disarray on Tuesday due to dense fog on the runway, leading to a low visibility range for the aircrafts.
In al, three international flights were re-routed to the state capital while the others including a couple of domestic flights reported a delay in their services The operations have just started to return to normality only after the thick fog, that was formed around midnight and intensified at dawn, was lifted off in the sunlight after 9.30 am.
The flights diverted during the day were Air India flight IC 596 from Sharjah that was scheduled to land here at 5.05 am and a Jet Airways flight from Doha. Similarly, an Air India Express flight IX452 from Abu Dhabi at 6.20 am was also diverted to the Thiruvanathapuram airport.
The flights reporting late arrival include an Air India Express IX 434 and Emirates EK 530 from Dubai and domestic flights from the destinations of Thiruvanathapuram, Bangalore and Mumbai.
According to the officials, the diversions were being made considering the safety of the aircraft as the visibility levels even dipped to below the 600 meter- mark.
