As many as 33 flights bound for Chennai were diverted to Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bengaluru on Monday amid heavy rains and cyclone alert in Tamil Nadu.
Chennai airport has been shut for arrival and departure services till 11 PM owing to severe weather conditions, prompting the diversion of incoming flights to Bengaluru.
Sources at KIA operator BIAL said flights by Indigo, SpiceJet, Etihad, Lufthansa, Gulf Air, and more had to be redirected from Chennai where over 70 flights were canceled altogether.
Officials said other airports like Tirupati and Visakhapatnam were also facing disruptions with delays and cancellations due to the inclement weather triggered by cyclone Mandous.
The storm has battered Chennai and nearby districts with heavy rains, uprooting trees and flooding low-lying areas. A public holiday has been announced in Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, and Chengalpattu districts on Tuesday.
All educational institutions, government offices, and banks will remain shut here as the cyclone is expected to become a severe storm soon. Parts of Odisha have also reported light to moderate rainfall.
The Met Department has forecast very heavy rainfall in TN and Puducherry over the next 24 hours with winds touching 85-95 kmph.
