Cyclone Fengal makes landfall; Chennai airport suspends operations till Sunday 4 am

Chennai (Tamil Nadu): Cyclone Fengal made landfall near Puducherry on Saturday evening, and the India Meteorological Department (IMD) stated that the process would take approximately four hours to complete. Chennai International Airport suspended operations until 4 am on Sunday following inundation of the runways and taxiways from heavy rain. At least 55 flights were cancelled, leaving thousands of passengers stranded at the airport and in neighbouring states.

The IMD's Additional Director General, S Balachandran, told PTI that the cyclone's landfall began at 5:30 pm on November 30, close to the Puducherry area. He added that more details would be provided as the situation developed.

Apart from the 55 flight cancellations, 19 others were diverted due to the inundation of the runways. This included both domestic and international flights, with at least 12 flights delayed earlier in the day before the airport was shut down. The Chennai airport issued a statement on X, saying that senior officials were monitoring the situation closely and working to resume operations as soon as conditions improved. A WebEx meeting held earlier on the day involved officials from the IMD and stakeholders, leading to the decision to extend the suspension of airport operations until 4 am on December 1. The airport urged passengers to check with their airlines for updates.

The disruptions have affected at least 10,000 passengers, with around 1,000 people remaining at the airport, hoping for the first available flight once operations resume. Additionally, 20 flights from Hyderabad, including services to Chennai and Tirupati, were also cancelled. IndiGo Airlines temporarily suspended its flights, which will resume once the weather improves.

Meanwhile, hospitals and homes in Chennai and nearby areas were flooded due to the heavy rainfall. Civic authorities have been working on a 'war footing' to clear the waterlogging and repair the damage.

Rainwater entered two state-run hospitals in Chromepet, including the general hospital and a thoracic medicine facility. In a tragic incident, a migrant worker was electrocuted while trying to withdraw cash from an ATM. Public transport services were also disrupted, forcing many people to park under flyovers, a precaution reminiscent of the 2015 floods.

Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) officials have deployed over 22,000 personnel, including engineers and sanitary workers, to clear waterlogging at 134 spots. A total of 1,686 motor pumps, including tractor-mounted heavy-duty pumps, have been deployed to manage the water levels.