Similarly, while
coming back from Calicut on 22nd, finishing my 10 day disastrous
journey home, I have nearly missed my flight to Sharjah because flights were
not landing in Calicut due to heavy rain. Around me, all flights
were getting cancelled or delayed. Many flights were being diverted to Kochi
- where they can land in rain. God must have seen my family’s
suffering while attempting to fly to India and he decided I must be allowed
to at least fly back. Finally my flight flew out of Calicut that day; I just
got lucky this time. There is a news story developing as I write this story
concerning Kuwait where the authorities there are threatening to block all
Air India and Indian flights from July 1st due to the fact that they are
allotted a small number of seats compared to what Air India and Indian are
allotted to Kuwait in spite of an agreement to correct the disparity. This
is good news for those who fly from Calicut because one of the demands of
the Kuwaiti authorities is that they be allowed to fly to Calicut and
Hyderabad.
Most of the passengers to Calicut come from the low income
group who are literally struggling to make ends meet in the arid Gulf. They
need more efficient and cheap flights in and out of Calicut. Any move by
anyone which would achieve that goal is most welcome. Last thing people want
is to miss their flights to home and back. But it seems that is the norm in
Calicut today with Air India’s ‘super reliability’.
Concerned authorities please stop this torture of
passengers and let every airline fly to Calicut's so called INTERNATIONAL
Airport. Also, keep in mind that special RADAR or the facility for landing
in the rain. I am looking forward to a day when I can wish you all
a pleasant flight to Calicut. It seems it can happen only minus Air India.
Please pass your comments and any similar experience here at Binsar.com
forum.
- TP Gopinath writing from Dubai
Return to Calicut - A
Flight of Chaos
