Cyclone Mandous: Full list of flights cancelled at Chennai airport today

Owing to Cyclone Mandous, which is likely to bring heavy rainfall to parts of Chennai, many areas in Tamil Nadu on Friday, many flights at the Chennai airport have been cancelled or rescheduled. Chennai Airport has warned passengers that multiple flights can be cancelled on December 9 due to heavy rainfall and storm in the Bay of Bengal. 

“Kindly take note of the Flight cancellations at Chennai Intl Airport on 09.12.2022 due to adverse weather conditions forecasted. Passengers are requested to check with concerned airline(s) for further updates," the Chennai airport official handle tweeted.

A total of 13 flights have been cancelled so far, an ANI report stated. Earlier in the day, India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that Cyclone 'Mandous' has hit the southern Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coasts and is likely to cause severe damages. 

All three states, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Andhra Pradesh, have been preparing themselves for the storm. The authorities are on alert and necessary precautionary measures are in place, as per the government reports. The National Disaster Relief Force has been deployed as well. In Chennai, around 169 relief camps have been set up. The city civic body has prepared 805 motor pumps to drain stagnant water from low-lying areas.

Puducherry CM N Rangasamy took stock of the preparations as Cyclone Mandous intensified. The cyclone is scheduled to cross the coast between Puducherry and Sriharikota around midnight today to early hours of December 10.

Buses cancelled 

The state transport department of Tamil Nadu has asked passengers not to take the ECR route to Puducherry and buses to Mahabalipuram. In a statement, Tamil Nadu Transport Minister SS Sivasankar said that based on the instruction of Chief Minister MK Stalin, the department will not operate buses around Mahabalipuram and East Coast Road for at least for 2-4 hours due to the cyclone. Bus services to Chennai, Chengalpattu, Kanchipuram, Tiruvallur, Cuddalore, and Villupuram will operate as usual.

Cyclone Mandous

As per IMD, Cyclone Mandous will cross Mamallapuram, near Chennai, with a wind speed of 65-75 kmph between this midnight and early Saturday. The 'severe cyclonic storm' is projected to weaken by Saturday afternoon.

Extremely heavy to heavy rainfall is predicted in parts of Chengalpattu, Villupuram, Kancheepuram, and Puducherry. The weather office has issued a red alert in 13 districts in the state. The cyclone is feared to cause uprooting of trees, consequent power cuts, and inundation.