After suffering one of the biggest floods in almost a century, the southern state of Kerala is slowly limping back to normalcy.

The Kochi International Airport, which was shut down as a result of heavy floods and water logging, will start functioning from today.

The airport at Nedumbassery, which acts as a global gateway from the state, had been closed since August 15.

The Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) will start functioning from 2pm (Indian time) today, reported Gulf Times.

UPDATE: Cochin Int'l Airport will be resuming full-scale operations (Both Int'l and Domestic) to/from #KochiAirport starts 1400hrs today, 29 Aug. #KeralaFloods
[Pics: CIAL] pic.twitter.com/nQ3GJfWVoA

— Shastitaren (@Shastitaren4) August 28, 2018

All airlines plying their trade in the sector, both domestic and international, will follow the current schedule for operations, CIAL said.

“Intimation regarding the readiness of the airport has been given to all airlines to make sure the smooth functioning of the services as per schedule” CIAL said. 

The Cochin International Airport which was closed owing to incessant rain and flood, will resume operation on Aug29 with the arrival of Indigo flight 6E407 from Bsngalore at 2.05 pm. #KeralaFloods #CIAL

— Babu K Peter (@babukpeter) August 29, 2018

The news is undoubtedly going to bring happiness to thousands of Qatar-based expatriates, who had seen carefully laid out holiday plans get thrown into disarray.

Ticketing agents, tour operators and airline companies in Doha has once again started providing tickets to Kochi and vice-versa, reported Qatar Tribune.

Airline offices in Doha witnessed a rush of visitors seeking tickets to Kochi after CIAL officially announced resumption of operations on its website. 

Sources said Qatar Airways, Air India Express, Jet Airways and Indigo will all restart their operations to Kochi from today itself.

Following the closure of CIAL, airlines operating to the airport had rerouted its flights to Trivandrum and Calicut.

Although the airport was initially expected to be up and running by August 18, it was later deferred to August 26 due to the severity of the floods.

The heavy rainfall has brought about considerable damage in the state. While HH The Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani announced a $5m aid package, Qatar Airways had flown relief materials to the state totally free of charge.