Cyclone Fengal Update: Chennai Airport Closed Till 5Pm Indigo, Air India Flight Operations Hit. Check Complete List

With Cyclone Fengal impact, weather conditions have affected multiple flights to and from Chennai, leaving passengers stranded as the city braces for heavy rainfall and strong winds.

Catch LIVE updates of Cyclone Fengal

As Cyclone Fengal approaches, Chennai's international and domestic flights have faced cancellations and diversions due to inclement weather. Air India posted on social media, alerting passengers to the ongoing disruptions:

"Flights to and from Chennai are getting affected due to inclement weather and heavy rains," the Air India said in an X post.

IndiGo also issued a similar travel advisory, informing passengers of delays in flights to cities including Chennai, Tiruchirappali, Tuticorin, Madurai, and more. The airline noted that the weather conditions were impacting operations across several airports in Tamil Nadu:

"The current weather conditions continue to impact flights to/from Chennai, Tiruchirappalli, Tuticorin, Madurai, with Tirupati and Vishakhapatnam now also affected," IndiGo tweeted.

The Chennai Airport also informed,“IndiGo@IndiGo6E flight 6E0243 (A320, VT-IAQ) from Hyderabad to Chennai, scheduled to arrive at 0900 hrs, has been diverted to Hyderabad due to bad weather at Chennai. Passengers are advised to contact IndiGo for further updates.”

Chennai airport authorities confirmed the diversion of international flights due to the worsening weather. One of the affected flights, FitsAir flight 8D0831 from Colombo, was rerouted to Colombo after it failed to land at Chennai Airport due to heavy rains. Passengers were advised to contact FitsAir for further details on the new arrangements.

IndiGo 6E1412 (A320, VT-IPT) from Abu Dhabi to Chennai, scheduled to arrive at 8.10 am at MAA, has also been diverted to Bengaluru due to bad weather at Chennai.

Cyclone Fengal, currently located over the Southwest Bay of Bengal, is expected to make landfall later today. According to the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) in Chennai, intense rainfall is expected to persist across the northern coastal districts of Tamil Nadu.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued warnings of heavy to very heavy rainfall in several districts, including Chennai, Tiruvallur, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram, Villuppuram, Kallakurichi, Cuddalore, and Puducherry. Some regions could even experience extremely heavy rainfall. The IMD also predicted that the cyclone would bring gusty winds with speeds of up to 90 km/h.

The cyclone is expected to cross the north Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coasts later today, likely to make landfall between Karaikal and Mahabalipuram, near Puducherry. The wind speeds will range from 70-80 km/h, with gusts reaching up to 90 km/h, posing a significant threat to coastal areas.

Other affected areas include Ranipet, Vellore, Thanjavur, Thiruvarur, Nagapattinam, and Karur, with heavy rain forecast for Saturday.

"Heavy rain is likely to occur at isolated places over Ranipet, Tiruvannamalai, Vellore, Perambalur, Ariyalur, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Mayiladuthurai, Nagapattinam districts and Karaikal area," said the Tamil Nadu IMD in a release.

MENAFN30112024007365015876ID1108940894