Airport officials are continuously monitoring the weather updates (Photo | Ashwin Prasath, EPS) 
Chennai

Chennai Airport suspends arrival of aircraft till 6 pm amid heavy rains and winds

The decision has been taken for the safety of passengers considering the severity of winds, said Chennai Airport Director Dr Sharad Kumar. However, departures of aircraft will continue.

C Shivakumar

CHENNAI: The arrival of aircraft at Chennai Airport will remain suspended from 1.15pm to 6pm due to severe rains and heavy cross winds, according to Chennai Airport Director Dr Sharad Kumar.

The decision has been taken for the safety of passengers considering the severity of winds, Dr Kumar added. However, departures of aircraft will continue.

Many flights have been diverted due to heavy winds and a decision on whether to allow arriving aircraft will be taken after 5pm, said the airport director.

He also said that departures were being allowed to ensure passengers don't get stranded at Chennai Airport.

This comes after Chennai Airport activated its contingency plan on Wednesday night after the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted thunderstorms with heavy to very heavy rains.

Already, many domestic and international flights at Chennai Airport have either been rescheduled or cancelled since Wednesday.

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