The Cochin International Airport, which remained shut for two weeks due to floods, yesterday started normal operations.
Schools, which need safety clearance or were functioning as shelter camps for the displaced families, too reopened yesterday.
The first aircraft, an IndiGo’s flight from Ahmedabad, touched down at the airport at 2.06pm yesterday ending the travel woes of thousands of people.
On the first flight that took off at 3.25pm for Bengaluru, there was a VIP passenger – Congress president Rahul Gandhi who spent two days in Kerala.
An airport official said more than 2,000 people worked round-the-clock on shifts for eight days to put the airport back in order, cleaning and repairing systems which became non-functional after flood waters entered the complex.
“The landings and takeoffs are going on smoothly as scheduled,” said P S Jayan, the airport company’s corporate communications manager.
“The offices of airlines, ground handling, customs and immigration were functioning since Monday afternoon.”
With the reopening of Kerala’s biggest airport the Southern Naval Command closed its airport to civilian commercial flights.
Meanwhile, all but 211 schools reopened after more than two weeks. Of the 12,981 schools in Kerala, 650 were severely hit by the floods, and attendance was thin in the worst-hit Idukki, Wayanad and Alappuzha districts where life is yet to get back to normal.
“Today there will be no classes. Instead it will be more of an emotional counselling as a good number of these young minds have suffered on account of the rains and floods,” Education Minister C Raveendranath said.
“I have lost everything and this uniform I am wearing was given to me on Tuesday by authorities. All my books and certificates were washed away,” complained a Class 9 student.
At a primary school in Chengannur, the headmistress said the school was still under water. “All the students have lost their text books.”
In Wayanad and Kannur too, schools began functioning again but attendances was thin in some.
Debashish Panda, an additional secretary at the finance ministry, said while ensuring transparency in assessing damages and settling claims, people should not be put under pressure or tortured.