By Ashraf Padanna/Thiruvananthapuram

Several Gulf-bound flights have been shifted to Kochi from Calicut international airport after the Airports Authority of India (AAI) announced the latter’s closure to medium and wide-bodied aircraft for 18 months from yesterday.  
The AAI decision came despite federal Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju’s earlier assurance that the closure would not begin before September.  
The Airports Authority of India (AAI), which operates the Calicut airport, is undertaking a Rs1bn overhaul of the extensively damaged tabletop runway.
A Cochin International Airport Ltd (CIAL) official said Saudi Airlines’ Boeing 777/747 services as well as that of Air India (AI) were diverted to the airport while Etihad’s Airbus A319/320/330 flights would follow suit from May 15.
“Air India’s first diverted flight from Riyadh touched down on Thursday night itself,” said P S Jayan, the corporate relations manager. “There is no change in our plans”.
The AI flights from Riyadh arrive in Kochi at 10.55 pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays and fly back at 2am the next day.
Air India’s Jeddah flights arrive at 7.05am on Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays and return at 6.30pm.
Saudi Airlines’ flights from Riyadh will arrive by 11.45am and return at 1.30pm. Its flights from Dammam are scheduled for Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at the same time.
Etihad’s flights from Abu Dhabi will arrive at 7.40am and return at 8.30am every day from May 15. These are A 319/320/330 series aircraft.
“The diversion process is well on track. We have made all arrangements to handle additional flights and passenger traffic without hassles,” he said.
India’s 12th busiest airport catering to the six districts of Malabar, home to majority of Kerala expatriates in the Gulf, will be closed to all flights from 12pm to 8pm during the strengthening and re-carpeting of the runway.
After several representations from various stakeholders, including the state government, to avoid the peak Haj and vacation season, Raju last week informed the state’s minister for ports and airports, K Babu, that the work was put being off to September.
Babu, who had earlier met the federal minister and top AAI officials in New Delhi and apprised them of the difficulties, said he would take up the matter with the minister again on Monday as the AAI move was against the assurance given to him.
“I don’t know why they wanted to divert the flights four months in advance even before floating the tender for the works. Raju should keep his word,” the minister told Gulf Times.
Calicut airport, located in the Muslim-dominated Malappuram district, is the only embarkation point for some 7,000 Haj pilgrims from Kerala, Mahe and Lakshadweep.
Outbound Hajj flights are scheduled from here during August-September and return flights during September-October.
The pilgrims, mostly elderly, enter into ihram from the nearby Haj House where Haj camps are held every year.
The runway closure decision will also hit the services of Qatar Airways Cargo and Emirates SkyCargo which airlift fruits and vegetables.
By the time the Calicut runway work is completed, the Kannur international airport, a corporate airport which has set a deadline for the first flight to land on December 31 this year, will be fully operational.