For the first time, Kerala's Cochin International Airport will operate direct flights to London thrice a week from August 22. The Kochi airport is the only one in the state which operates flights directly to London. According to the statement from Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL), the flight services from Kochi airport will resume on August 18 with the UK moving India from the red list to the amber list of countries. CIAL also announced that from August 22, the airport will have London-Kochi-London services on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
“CIAL is delighted to host three flights from London a week. This is the highest number of flight services that have been scheduled in this sector in the history of CIAL. It gives a shot in the arm for the effort taken by the government of Kerala and CIAL to establish frequent connectivity to Europe,” said S Suhas, Managing Director of CIAL, in a statement. Air India will deploy a Dreamliner category aircraft to operate this sector, the statement said.
CIAL has also announced that it has decided to waive parking and landing fees in order to woo more European carriers.
This move is expected to help thousands of stranded expats, the statement added. The flight from Kochi to Heathrow is 10 hours long. On August 8, the UK removed India from its red list of countries–only British or Irish nations or those with residence rights in the UK were allowed to return to the UK from countries in the red list due to the COVID-19 pandemic - to the amber list. The UK has given out rules that have to be followed for people coming from amber list countries, which now includes India.
“Entering the UK from places on the amber list requires three COVID-19 tests — the first, at least three days prior to departure; the second, on the day of arrival or before Day 2; and the third, on or after Day 8. Home quarantine for 10 days is also mandatory. For UK nationals who are fully vaccinated, neither quarantine nor the Day 8 test are required. People who have been fully vaccinated in the United States or many European countries will not need to be quarantined when they arrive in England or take the Day 8 test,” CIAL added in its statement.