The Hindu : Kerala News : Indian deploys one more Dornier to Agatti

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jun 07, 2006

Kerala

Kerala

Indian deploys one more Dornier to Agatti

A Correspondent

To ensure uninterrupted operation of services to Agatti

NEDUMBASSERY: Indian has positioned an additional Dornier aircraft at the Cochin International Airport at Nedumbassery to ensure smooth and uninterrupted operation of services to Agatti.

At present, the airline operates daily services, except on Sundays, to Agatti using a 12-seater Dornier aircraft.

The service had to be cancelled on many occasions in the past owing to technical snag, as there was no way to resume the service other than to rectify the error, which could prove to be a time consuming process.

Last week alone the airline had to cancel the service on two days owing to technical snag.

In the event of such unexpected cancellation of service, passengers are subjected to hardship as they get stranded either in Kochi or in Agatti as it is the sole service connecting the archipelago with the mainland.

Besides this, the airline is also forced to contend with cancellations owing to inclement weather, especially during the monsoon. With the arrival of a second Dornier, at least the snag-related cancellations are expected to cease.

Flight commander

The airline has also made available the service of a flight commander on deputation from the naval force, a top airline official said.

Though it had not happened of late, there had been instances in the not too distant past when the airline was forced to call off the service when the sole commander on duty went on leave. The service of an additional commander could help avoid such a scenario.

In case a need arises, the airline would operate services using both the Dorniers, the official informed.

He, however, said that how long the additional Dornier would be in Kochi would be decided by the airline headquarters.

With the outset of monsoon, ship service to Lakshadweep, which is the cheaper and widely used transportation mode by the general public, also gets badly hit.

Though the flight service becomes the sole transportation mode during this time, it remains out of bounds for the average commuters with the fare fixed at upward of Rs.7,000.

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