The Cochin International Airport on Wednesday suspended all flight operations till 2 pm after flood water submerged the runway. Many flights have been diverted to Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode.
The airport is situated near the Periyar river bank.
The Kerala government has sought more contingents of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) to combat the serious flood situation in the state.. Heavy rain, landslides and the flood have claimed almost 40 lives so far.
As rain continued, landslides cut off the hill station of Munnar. The government has asked visitors to avoid travelling to hilly areas after landslides and flash floods swept through many such areas.
Authorities also opened the sluice gates of the Mullaperiyar day to bring down the water level. Sluice gates of a total of 33 dams have now been opened across the state.