Picture : Twitter / ANI
Cyclone Fani has hit hard the airlines in the Eastern region. Airports In West Bengal and Odisha are facing the nature’s fury. The Airports Authority of India confirmed that no flight will operate to and from Kolkata Airport from Friday 3pm to 8: 30 am Saturday. According to reports by News 18, The airport authorities have asked airlines to cancel both domestic and international flights during the said time.
Engineers and other emergency systems are on standby at Kolkata airport.
The reason for airport shutdown comes as the situation is grave for flyers as many flights has been cancelled. Severe thunderstorm with intense rainfall and gale wind speed reaching 140 to 150 kmph gusting to 165 kmph likely to occur at a few places over the districts of Ganjam, Puri, Jagatsingpur.
Meanwhile , according to media reports, Flights to and from the Bhubaneswar airport have been cancelled for May 3 as ‘extremely severe’ cyclonic storm Fani heads towards Odisha and the east coast, even as Civil Aviation Minister Suresh Prabhu reportedly requested airlines to offer assistance in rescue and relief operations.
Flights from Bhubaneswar airport stand “cancelled” on May 3 and no flight will depart or arrive at the Kolkata airport between 9.30 pm of May 3 and 6 pm of May 4, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in an advisory on Thursday evening.
The aviation regulator said that “resumption of flights” at Bhubaneswar and Kolkata airports “will be with positive clearance from their respective air traffic control”.
Extremely severe cyclonic storm Fani with wind speed touching nearly 200 kmph that made landfall earlier on Friday on the eastern coast wreaking havoc in Odisha, will cross several districts in the state before advancing to neighbouring West Bengal. The India Meteorological Department have been issuing regular updates
