Chennai rains: 5 flights diverted to Bengaluru over bad weather

CHENNAI: Bad weather conditions, notably strong wind and heavy rains in Chennai, resulted diversion of five flights from Dubai, Bahrain, Hong Kong, Mumbai and Lucknow to Bengaluru for safe landing, on Sunday evening.

Sources said a number of flights, Emirates Airlines flight from Dubai to Chennai with 186 passengers on board, a Gulf Airways flight from Bahrain with 167 passengers on board, a Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong with 204 passengers on board, and five flights from Mumbai and Lucknow were diverted to Bengaluru due to heavy rains.

It has also been reported that flights from Madurai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Delhi, Mumbai, Tiruchy and Kolkata will not be able to land and will be able to make a late landing. Similarly, flights from Chennai to Dubai, Bahrain, Tiruchy, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Delhi and Mumbai will also be delayed.

As many as 20 flights have been affected in Chennai so far, causing severe inconvenience to passengers.

Earlier, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted heavy rains over some areas of Tamil Nadu and adjoining Puducherry, as well as some districts adjacent to Western Ghats from Tuesday. Weather officials also said that a few areas of the State have chances of light to heavy rains with thunderstorms from Sunday onwards till Monday evening.