Many Indian expatriates living in Qatar have been stranded in Kerala after it was hit by one of the worst floods in almost a century.

The Cochin International Airport, in Nedumbassery in Kochi, has been submerged and will be closed until at least August 26, it has been announced earlier.

The runway and the parking area at the Kochi airport, located near the banks of Periyar River, are still flooded. 

Keeping this in mind, Qatar Airways has decided to reroute its two flights to Kochi — QR516 and QR517 — to the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport until August 25, reported Gulf Times. 

#QatarAirways has decided to reroute its flights - QR516 and QR517 between Doha and Kochi to Thiruvananthapuram International Airport until August 25. #avgeek #KeralaFlood #KeralaFloods #KeralaFloods2018https://t.co/7TPGcGyW39 via @GulfTimes_QATAR

— Captain Tsubasa (@cpt_t88) August 18, 2018

The national carrier has advised passengers to use the ‘flight status tab’ on its website or call Qatar Airways’ 24-hour call centre on 40230000 for the latest information.

To assist passengers, Qatar Airways has also decided to waive cancellation charges and allow free rebooking/rerouting within 21 days of original ticketed travel date for all impacted customers whose tickets were issued on or before August 15 for travel up to August 26.

Meanwhile, Air India Express in a flight update said passengers who booked for flights to some Middle East destinations from Kochi for travel up to August 26, can avail of alternate flights to same destinations operating from the two other international airports in Kerala — Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode — without any additional charges.