The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Fog delays flights, trains

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 24, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Fog delays flights, trains

Special Correspondent

CHENNAI: Domestic flights were delayed for five hours and five international flights diverted to Bangalore and Hyderabad early on Sunday following dense fog over the Chennai airport.

It was effectively shut down between 3.15 am and 8 am as visibility fell below 200 metres, making it impossible for any aircraft to arrive or depart.

Around 20 domestic flights were delayed, an airport official said. The international flights diverted included an Air Arabia flight, Qatar Airways from Doha, Oman Air from Muscat, Gulf Air and Lufthansa Cargo.

The 4 a.m. British Airways flight to London made it to the runway for take-off, but had to return to the parking gate as visibility was too poor. It eventually left at 8 am.

Most of the grounded flights finally departed by 9 a.m., when visibility improved to around 1200 metres. An official said more delays were likely in the coming months. During December to February, fog-related disruptions occur in airports around the country.

Trains arriving in Chennai Egmore and Chennai Central were also delayed, some of them for more than an hour, because of the fog.

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