Heavy spell of rain in Kozhikode disrupted rail and air traffic with several trains and flights cancelled on Friday.
Acting Airport Director K. Mohamed Shahid said that five flights, both domestic and international flights were diverted to other airports. However, these flights returned and took to their destinations later. One of them was the Saudia (Saudia Arabian Airlines) from Riyadh.
Calicut airport also handled two Indigo flights to Abu Dhabi and Dubai following the closure of Kochi airport. Also, a Chennai-Kochi-Dubai Spicejet flight took off from Calicut. The Kozhikode-Kochi-Sharjah Air India Express flight would also depart from Calicut on Saturday morning, Mr. Shahid said.
Meanwhile, the Palakkad division of the Railways has changed the pattern of train services on account of heavy rain and flooding in north Kerala.
Several trains, Karaikal–Ernakulam Express, Thiruvananthapuram–Ernakulam Amritha Express, Ernakulam-Karaikal Express, KSR Bengaluru–Kanyakumari Island Express, Yesvantpur–Kannur Express, Banaswadi–Kochuveli Humsafar Express, Thiruvananthapuram–Chennai Central Mail, Thiruvananthapuram–Chennai Central Kerala Express, Alappuzha–Chennai Central Kerala Express, Kochuveli–KSR Bengaluru Express were cancelled on Friday.
The following trains that commenced from Friday have been diverted: Train No. 16315 KSR Bengaluru–Kochuveli Express was diverted via Salem–Karur– Dindigul–Madurai–Tirunelveli–Nagercoil Town; Train No. 16525 Kanyakumari–KSR Bengaluru Express was diverted via Nagercoil Town – Tirunelveli – Madurai – Dindigul – Karur – Erode – Salem.
Train No. 12660 Shalimar – Nagercoil Gurudev Express which left Shalimar on Wednesday was diverted via Palakkad – Pollachi – Dindigul – Madurai – Tirunelveli.
Further, the Train No.16317 Kaniyakumari - Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra Express which departed on Friday was diverted via Nagercoil Junction and Tirunelveli. The service will get amalgamated with train No.16787 Tirunelveli-Shri Vaishnodevi Katra at Tirunelveli.
