Kochi: That was a swift operation, Navy style. The Kochi-based Southern Command of the Indian Navy got its School for Naval Airmen (SFNA) at INS Garuda transformed into a makeshift airline terminal for operation of civilian flights in under 24 hours after the Kochi international airport shut down on August 15 after flood waters entered its premises.
And the proof of the pudding is in its eating: as many as 162 flights of Alliance Air, Indigo, Jet Airways, and Pawan Hans (air ambulance flights) operated from the naval airport, serving more than 10,000 passengers, by the time the civilian flight operations were terminated on August 29.
"The transformation was a herculean task, which involved all SFNA personnel as well as CIAL staff who worked tirelessly throughout the night to ensure that the make-shift terminal was ready in all respects before the first flight landed at the next day," said Capt Arupanand Ghosh, officer-in-charge of SFNA.
"We relocated training aircraft, specialist vehicles for civil aircraft parking and vacated garage space to set up scanning equipment for baggage screening, check-in counters, departure area," said Cdr Sridhar Warrier, PRO (defence), Koichi. "The training hall and examination hall were converted into passenger departure and arrival area and waiting halls, respectively. The class rooms became airline and CISF offices." It also set up a ramp for wheelchair patients, and provided shuttle bus services for passengers.
According to the Navy, interestingly, the Cochin airport used to function from INS Garuda till 2000 and the terminal was housed in the same building, which later on was handed over to the Navy which converted it into SFNA. However, over the years, the building has been modified to be used as a training school, and consequently all facilities for a civilian terminal had been removed.
