Chennai airport partially closed, incoming flights diverted

Chennai, Nov 11 (IANS) The Airports Authority of India has suspended arrival of flights at Chennai airport till 6 p.m. but departures will function as usual.

Chennai airport Director Dr Sharad Kumar, in a statement, said that the decision was taken for the safety of the passengers. A decision on whether the aircraft should be allowed to land will be taken after 5 p.m., he added.

Eleven flights from various destinations like Delhi, Bengaluru, Kolkatta, Tiruchi, and Madurai have been diverted either to Bangaluru or to Hyderabad, as landing is difficult due to heavy winds.

Airport Authority sources told IANS that 13 flights have already been diverted. As many as 444 neighbourhoods in Chennai have been flooded and a total of 11,817 complaints have been received at the Corporation helpline number 1913 and civic issues of 5,913 complaints have been resolved, a statement from the Greater Chennai Corporation said.

The Corporation has already distributed 2.9 lakh food packets to the residents. Woodcutting machines are used to remove several uprooted trees with over 160 trees were uprooted.