Hyderabad: Cyclone Michaung disrupts flights at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport

The cyclonic storm, named ‘Michaung,’ caused several flight cancellations and delays, affecting services primarily operated by IndiGo and Air India.

Hyderabad: Cyclone Michaung led to flight disruptions on Monday at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Shamshabad, impacting air travel due to adverse weather conditions and heavy rains in parts of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

The cyclonic storm, named ‘Michaung,’ caused several flight cancellations and delays, affecting services primarily operated by IndiGo and Air India.

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Numerous flights bore the brunt of the cyclone’s impact. IndiGo flights 6E 7688 to Tirupati Airport, 6E 7545 to Rajamahendravaram, 6E 7213 to Vijayawada, 6E 7263 to Tirupati, 6E 596 to Visakhapatnam, 6E 7311 to Rajamahendravaram, 6E 514 to Chennai, and 6E 7208 to Vijayawada were canceled, alongside Air India’s AI 542 service from Hyderabad to Tirupati.

Several flights faced operational challenges. IndiGo flight 6E 7532 intended for Tirupati took off at 6:51 am but had to return to RGIA due to adverse weather at the destination. Similarly, flight 6E 289 bound for Chennai, scheduled for 6:10 am, departed at 7:32 am but was compelled to return to Hyderabad due to unfavorable weather conditions in Chennai.

In addition, IndiGo flight 6E 971, departing from Chandigarh’s Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport at 7:23 am with a scheduled landing in Chennai at 10:20 am, was diverted to RGIA, landing around 10 am due to challenging weather conditions in Chennai.

Consequently, Chennai airport suspended both arrival and departure operations for two hours on Monday due to heavy rains and winds. Airports Authority of India (AAI) officials announced the closure of the airfield for arrival operations until 11:30 pm on Monday.