VISAKHAPATNAM: Air passengers bore the brunt of cyclone Phethai as 18 services of various airlines from Visakhapatnam were cancelled and 14 flights coming to the port city were either diverted or cancelled. With delay in rescheduling of flights, nearly 700 passengers got stranded at the Visakhapatnam International Airport till late in the evening.
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The flight services were resumed around 8 pm on Monday. According to Airport Director Prakash Reddy, flight services were resumed and the stranded passengers were accommodated in other flights at night.
Just two or three flights were operated in the morning hours while the rest of the airlines cancelled their flights to and from Visakhapatnam due to gusty winds and heavy rains since Monday morning.
Due to heavy winds blowing at a speed between 90 kmph to 100 kmph, the authorities shutdown a runaway at the airport. There are also allegations that authorities have not responded to the passengers immediately in providing information about delay or rescheduling of flights.
On Monday, some flights were diverted to Hyderabad while IndiGo cancelled its morning flight from Hyderabad to Vizag. According to airport authorities, 24 (12x2) services of IndiGo , 12 (6x2) services of SpiceJet and Air Asia flight from Bankok were cancelled.
Around 14 flights coming to Visakhapatnam were cancelled. Due to lack of updates, many passengers cancelled their tickets.
“Neither the airlines nor the airport authorities are giving proper information. We have been in the airport since morning, but no one is updating us or answering our queries,” said a frustrated passenger at Vizag airport.
Meanwhile, around 400 buses in the Vizag region were out of service from 7 am to 4 pm. Around 60 buses to long distances such as Vijayawada, Kadapa, Tirupati, Kakinada and Proddutur were cancelled and 50 per cent city buses were out of service till evening.