After a gap of almost four years, Etihad Airways, one of two flag carriers of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has resumed operations at the Calicut International Airport.
Airport Director S. Suresh lighted the traditional lamp to mark the resumption of the flight on Monday night. The flight will operate on daily basis with Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft. The scheduled arrival time is 7.55 p.m. and departure for Abu Dhabi is 8.30.p.m, said Etihad station manager C.K. Hemanth.
Etihad had suspended operations due to COVID-19 restrictions in March 2020. At that time, the airline had two daily flights servicing at the airport and on some occasions four flights.
Meanwhile, sources in the Airports Authority of India said a decision on the resumption of operation of wide-body aircraft including Emirates, another flag carrier of the UAE, would be taken only after the completion of the Runway End Safety Area, a mechanism to limit the consequences when aeroplanes overrun the end of a runway during a landing or a rejected take-off.
