Fog disrupts flight operations at Chennai airport, international departures hit by long queues
As per reports, international departures faced delays due to long queues at security and visa-checks, with increased passenger traffic to destinations like Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Doha
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CHENNAI: Several international flights departing from Chennai Airport faced delays of up to two hours in the early hours of February 8 due to long queues at security and visa checks.
Later, thick fog between 7 and 10 am led to multiple flight diversions to Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Tirupati, while several planes were forced to circle in the sky, causing inconvenience to thousands of passengers.
Queue woes
Flights to international destinations like Colombo (IndiGo), Hong Kong (Cathay Pacific), Singapore (Air India Express), Dubai (Emirates), Doha (Qatar Airways), and Brunei (Royal Brunei) experienced delays of up to two hours.
As per reports, international departures faced delays due to long queues at security and visa-checks, with increased passenger traffic to destinations like Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Doha.
Diversions to nearby city airports
Earlier today, a Qatar Airways cargo flight was diverted to Bengaluru after an unsuccessful landing attempt at Chennai Airport.
Several Chennai-bound flights were also diverted to Hyderabad, including a British Airways flight from London, a Singapore Airlines flight from Singapore, an Oman Air flight from Muscat, and an Air India flight from Mumbai.
An IndiGo flight from Kuala Lumpur was diverted to Coimbatore, while flights of the same airline from Pune and Port Blair were redirected to Tirupati.
A SriLankan Airlines flight from Colombo to Chennai returned to Colombo after a two-hour journey, having spent considerable time near the Chennai airspace.
Chennai airport officials stated that the fog caused low visibility, making it difficult to see the runway. They added that since it was a natural occurrence, there was little they could do, and for safety reasons, flights were diverted. They also expressed regret for the inconvenience caused to passengers.
Delayed arrivals
Additionally, several flights experienced arrival delays and had to hold patterns above and near the Chennai airport. The affected flights included an IndiGo flight from Thiruvananthapuram, two IndiGo flights from Hyderabad, an IndiGo flight from Tiruchy, an IndiGo flight from Goa, and an IndiGo flight from Kozhikode.
Blue Dart cargo flights from Hyderabad and Bengaluru, along with an AirAsia flight from Kuala Lumpur, an Air India flight from Delhi, a Myanmar Airways flight from Yangon, and an Etihad Airways flight from Abu Dhabi, also faced delays and had to hold patterns near the Chennai airspace.
More than 25 flights departed from Chennai with significant delays due to the late arrival of aircrafts.
(With inputs from Bureau)
