Thirty three flights bound for Chennai were diverted to Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport on Monday in view of heavy rains that continued to lash several parts of Tamil Nadu including Chennai under the impact of a cyclonic storm. Due to the severe weather conditions, the Chennai airport has been closed for arrival and departure operations till 11 pm on Monday.
As per the officials from Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL) that operates KIA, domestic and international flights from including that of Indigo, SpiceJet, Etihad, Lufthansa and Gulf Air were diverted here from Chennai, where several flights were also cancelled, according to a PTI report.
As many as 70 flights arriving to and departing from the airport were cancelled owing to non-stop rains.
“Several flights have been diverted from Chennai to KIA. Chennai airport has also announced that they would remain closed for arrival operations for a specific period," a BIAL official said as per the report.
"Not just Chennai, even Tirupati, Visakhapatnam all these regions have issues due to weather conditions. So, there are several delays and cancellations as well. We advise passengers to check the status of their respective flights and so far, 33 flights diverted from Chennai have landed at KIA here,” the official added, as per the PTI report.
The heavy rains have thrown life out of gear for people in the state.
In wake of the cyclone, a public holiday was declared in Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, and Chengalpattu districts on Tuesday. All schools, colleges, educational institutions, and government offices, including the offices of public undertakings and corporations, boards, banks, and financial institutions, will be closed in these districts.
As per the India Meteorological Department, the cyclonic storm 'Michaung' over the Bay of Bengal is active and likely to intensify further into a severe cyclonic storm by Monday as some parts of Odisha experienced light to moderate rain.