CHENNAI: 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. According to the carrier, relief and rescue flights with aid and volunteers to rain-ravaged and flood-hit Chennai and other affected parts of Tamil Nadu was mobilised since Wednesday.
The carrier operated an Airbus 320 test flight from Hyderabad to Rajali, the naval air station at Arakkonam near Chennai.
Meanwhile, Air India also sent 60 passengers by surface transport to Trivandrum for further onward connection from there. A total of 35 passengers were taken to Tambaram by road to be taken off on Indian Air Force aircraft. A special flight AI564 was also operated from Hyderabad to Arakkonam to bring back 120 passengers stranded at Chennai. The flight carried 30 Air India personnel on board for extending logistics support essential to operate the flight from the makeshift airbase.
Air India also announced a waiver of applicable penalties of re-issuance, date change, no-show, cancellation and refund charges for any travel from, to and via Chennai for both domestic and international flights on all tickets issued on or before December 2 for travel on or before December 15.