KOCHI: Though operations of Cochin International Airport Ltd (Cial) resumed on August 29, nearly two weeks after closure, the airport is yet to complete the restoration work.They have hired several experts to study the damage and its causes to make the airport flood-resistant.Cial officials said they have appointed Kitco and Kerala Water Authority to jointly prepare a study on the possible improvements the airport can make to its infrastructure "Kitco and KWA will provide us with their initial report on October 15, after which we will proceed with restructuring of the airport by taking their findings into account," said a Cial official.Cial has also hired two Dutch engineers who arrived in Kochi two days ago to survey the airport. Cial officals informed they will also be preparing a report."We have sought a holistic study, which looks at various aspects including the infrastructure and issues regarding the Chengal canal," he said.Cial has raised an insurance claim for Rs 363 crore with New India Assurance Ltd.This year the aero revenue and duty free sales of the profitable public-private partnership venture of the Kerala government, was entirely lost as they had to suspend operations due to flooding. They also had to set up a temporary perepheral wall spanning 2.6 km, replace several x-ray machines and electronic instruments and restore the damaged runway. Around 800 runway lights also had to be replaced.Temporarily, as per acceptable security norms, Cial has set-up a boundary wall, using nearly 4,000 columns, which was wrapped using metal sheets that would temporarily act as the boundary wall."Works are still ongoing. For example if 26 of our x-ray machines were ruined in the flood, we have not replaced them all. We are currently operating with what is required. Currently, our team is working on restoring all that was lost in the floods," the official said.Cial is yet to begin work on replacing the boundary wall. "We have a team that is currently studying and preparing a new plan for the boundary wall along with other infrastructure aspects to ensure that the airport is not flooded again. They would be presenting this to top management, who would have to take the call on whether to go ahead with the idea," the official said.In August, when shutters of Cheruthoni Dam were first opened, Cial officials were confident that the airport would not be flooded. They even had large motor pumps to clear out the water from the operations area. But by August 15, the runway was flooded and they had to suspend operations.

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