The advisory committee for the Calicut International Airport has urged the Ministry of Civil Aviation to restore the operation of wide-bodied aircraft that was suspended following the Air India Express crash on August 7.
The order from the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to suspend the operation had not specifically said whether it was temporary or permanent. Incidentally, the DGCA had banned the operation of wide-bodied aircraft in May 2015 on the basis of the Court of Inquiry report on the Air India Express Boeing 737 crash in Mangaluru in May 2010.
Now, Saudia (Saudi Arabian Airlines) and Air India, which were operating wide- bodied flights, have rescheduled their flights to Kochi.
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C.E. Chakkunny, member of the advisory committee and president of the Malabar Development Council, said the resumption of wide-bodied aircraft operations was necessary as far as passengers from north Kerala were concerned. Air India and Emirates had successfully operated wide-bodied aircraft for a fairly long period, offering convenience, capacity, and efficiency until their operations were suspended earlier, he added.
The DGCA had allowed the resumption of wide-bodied aircraft Boeing 777-200 and Airbus 330-300 at the airport in August 2018. However, the airline companies and the airport authorities had been instructed to comply with stringent safety measures. They included expansion of the Runway End Safety Area at the airport.