More UAE flights to Calicut as wide-body planes return

Dubai - The operation of wide-body aircraft was banned at the Calicut airport from May 2015.

The wide-body aircraft of Emirates and Air India may soon be allowed to resume operations at Calicut International Airport, according to India's civil aviation authority, which confirmed that an approval has been granted. For Indian expats in the UAE - especially those who often travel to the Malabar region - it was a "huge relief".
"It's good news. I live in Calicut and, due to the high flight costs, I have to travel all the way to Mangalore in Karnataka for air travel to and from Dubai. With more options, charges will surely drop," said TV Devan, a Kozhikode-native from Sharjah.
A Malayalee in Dubai welcome the additional options. Expat Suja Menon said: "It would be better if we had more options to and from Calicut, otherwise, flight costs to airports in Kerala are very high."
According to documents issued by the Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in India, which has been procured by Khaleej Times, Air India and Emirates have received approvals to resume day-time flights for an initial period of six months. Both airline companies submitted reports on the compatibility study and safety assessment in August and December 2018 and March 2019, respectively.
The operation of wide-body aircraft was banned at the Calicut airport from May 2015, in the wake of the court of inquiry report on the Air India Express Boeing 737 crash in Mangaluru in May 2010. A wide-body aircraft is a passenger airplane that is wide enough to accommodate two passenger aisles and has at least seven seats across.
Calicut International Airport director K. Srinivasa Rao has said the operation has been restricted to day time for an initial period of six months and will be reviewed for night operations at a later date.
"As per the NOC issued by the DGCA, the code E type of aircraft operation is restricted to day time only and will be reviewed after six months of commencement of operations," said Rao.
Speaking about the exact date for the launch of operations, he told Khaleej Times: "The airline operators may require some time to establish and implement their operations. It may be around two months."
However, Emirates has not confirmed the reports. "Official announcements, if any, will be made at an appropriate time," the airline said in a statement sent to Khaleej Times.
"Emirates is always reviewing market opportunities both in India and globally. We do not comment on speculation. Emirates continues to serve Southern India with multiple daily flights to Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai," its spokesperson added.
Following last month's UAE trip of Minister of State, External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs V Muraleedharan, senior Indian community leaders - including Dr Azad Moopen, chairman of Aster DM Healthcare Group - had met with the minister to discuss the relaunch of Emirates operations to Calicut.
It was a discussion that a number of expats hailed. Sanjeev Purushothaman, BJP-NRI cell spokesperson, said: "This is absolutely a great relief for NRIs. Thanks to V Muraleedharan, for taking up this matter. Certainly, this can help bring down the airfare to some extent."
At present, Saudia (Saudi Arabian Airlines) is the only wide-body aircraft operating in Kozhikode, after it secured the DGCA's approval in December last year.
The DGCA had given the NOC to Saudia and the Calicut airport to operate Boeing 777-200 and the Airbus 330-300 under Code E, and this would be reviewed after three years.
Air India and Emirates had sought permission to operate different types of aircraft.
Rao said the Airports Authority of India (AAI) has adopted several measures to accommodate the aircraft at Calicut airport.
"Runway was strengthened to increase its pavement classification number (PCN) from 55 to 72. The runway friction coefficient is to be maintained at 0.50 or above, and the Airports Authority of India has purchased an exclusive rubber deposit remover vehicle for Calicut airport.
"Runway end safety area length was also increased to 240m," he added.
What went on earlier
The operation of wide-body aircraft was banned at the Calicut airport from May 2015, in the wake of the court of inquiry report on the Air India Express Boeing 737 crash in Mangaluru in May 2010.
dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com