Cyclone Arnab alert: Flying from Visakhapatnam or Vijayawada today? Air India warns of flight disruptions, asks passengers to allow extra time

Air travellers heading to or from Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada may face disruptions on Tuesday as Severe Cyclonic Storm Arnab moves closer to the Andhra Pradesh coast.

Air India has issued a travel advisory warning that weather conditions linked to the cyclone could affect flights to and from the two cities. The airline has asked passengers to check their flight status before leaving and allow extra time to reach the airport, as bad weather could also affect road travel.

In an advisory posted on X, Air India said weather conditions associated with the cyclone might affect flight operations to and from Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada.

Read the post here:

Passengers can check updates through the airline’s official flight status page.

Cyclone Arnab moves closer to Andhra coast

The advisory comes as authorities in Andhra Pradesh step up preparations for the cyclone’s expected impact.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA), the cyclone was centred around 300 km from Visakhapatnam, 360 km from Kakinada, 460 km from Machilipatnam and 530 km from Bapatla as of Tuesday morning.

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The storm was moving at around 25 km per hour over the preceding six hours. It was forecast to move west-northwestwards before turning northwestwards towards the coastline, with a possible landfall near Yanam by Wednesday morning.

The IMD warned that the system could intensify further into a very severe cyclonic storm by the time of landfall.

Coastal areas were expected to see sustained wind speeds of 115–125 km per hour, with gusts reaching up to 140 km per hour. Extremely heavy rainfall was also forecast at isolated places along the coast.

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Andhra Pradesh steps up preparations

Authorities have stepped up preparedness across vulnerable areas. Preliminary assessments show that 16 districts, covering 2,460 revenue villages and 92 urban areas, fall within the cyclone’s projected path.

As per state authorities, 1,763 cyclone shelters have been made ready and 2,907 control rooms have been set up at district and mandal levels. A total of 3,185 nodal officers have also been deployed for relief operations.

Evacuation protocols have been activated across 2,107 Swarna Grama and Swarna Ward units to move vulnerable residents to safer locations.

NDRF and SDRF teams have been positioned across 11 high-risk districts for rescue and relief operations.

Passengers travelling to or from Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada should check their flight status before leaving and factor in extra travel time amid the expected adverse weather.