Cyclone Phethai: 5 flights to Visakhapatnam cancelled, several sectors face delays

HYDERABAD: At least five flights to and from Hyderabad, connecting Visakhapatnam and Rajahmundry, were cancelled, while several others to different sectors were inordinately delayed owing to Cyclone Phethai, on Monday. According to sources, services of three IndiGo flights and one each of SpiceJet and Air India were suspended for the day because of bad weather conditions.
An airport source said: “Passengers were informed in advance and also assisted with a full refund.”
Jet Airways, which had to cancel its Mumbai-Vizag operations, said that it was working on making alternative arrangements.“We are trying to accommodate passengers in tomorrow’s (Tuesday) flights,” said a spokesperson of the airline.
Till late evening, at least four flights — from Delhi, Bengaluru and Vijayawada — to Vizag were diverted to the city’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) after they failed to get clearance to land in the port city. “All the four flights — two IndiGo, one Air India and one Air Alliance — later returned to the airport of origin,” the source. “We are told that operations in Vizag are gradually returning to normal. Flight services should become smooth soon,” said the source.
On Monday, the situation remained chaotic as multiple sectors were affected due to sudden cancellations and diversions. Long delays in arrival and departure were reported (on the official website of Hyderabad airport) between Hyderabad and cities such as Raipur, Kolkata, Coimbatore, Cochin, Varanasi, Chennai, Jaipur, Bhubaneshwar, Pune, Ahmedabad, among others.
“This ripple effect was expected… Most affected were IndiGo services as the carrier connects maximum destinations,” the source said.