Arakkonam naval base: Pride was writ giant on the faces of naval staff at Arakkonam Base, the strategic defence asset that is enjoying a stellar and important position in finishing up the rescue and aid operations for people affected by the torrential rains in Chennai.
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The A320 aircraft took off from Hyderabad at 1730 hours and would evacuate about 120 passengers, a press release from the airline said.
With the Chennai Airport closed since December 1 evening for commercial operations, national carrier Air India ran several flights, ferrying stranded passengers and relief supplies through Arakkonam from December 2.
The debris has been removed from the operational area and required fix work on runway and taxiways has been carried out while the serviceability status of all airport systems are under evalution. Following inspection of runway and other areas, the aerodrome was declared available for limited day time operations, under visual meteorological conditions for technical ferry and relief flight from Chennai airport, and subsequently upgrade to all weather perations as and when facilities are restored, an AAI statement said.
However, on December 2nd, the AAI officials informed that airport will be shut till December 6 after heavy rainfall which caused flooding on the runway and the nearby areas which made it impossible to perform the operations. “The flights will operate during the day time”.
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The airline will continue to be in close coordination with related authorities and will keep guests informed of any developments. Fliers must also carry identity proof as Arakonam naval base airport – about 40 km from Chennai – is a high security zone. As many as 20 global airlines operates from Chennai airport apart from most of the domestic carriers.
