Fog disrupts flight service, likely to continue for two more days

This also affected the movement of vehicles on GST Road as there was a thick blanket of fog at the roads in Madhurantakam, Melmaruvathur and Achirapakkam.  At the city airport, the arrival and departure of at least 25 flights were delayed due to fog on Saturday, said officials. 

Two flights from Muscat, one from London, and two from Delhi that were scheduled to land here between 5.30 am to 6.30 am had to be diverted to Hyderabad airport. As the fog did not clear even after 7.30 am, an Etihad Airways flight from Abu Dhabi had to be diverted to Bengaluru. Airport officials said the arrival of 12 other flights were delayed. Similarly, eight flights that were supposed to depart to different destinations were delayed. 

The fog that restricted visibility also affected life outside the airport as well. Motorists faced difficulty as the road was not visible beyond just five metres, and had to turn on the headlights well into the morning as a precautionary measure. According to meteorological officials, the phenomenon was due to the presence of moisture in the air. They added that it was expected to continue for two more days unless the city received rains.