Smog caused by Bhogi bonfires affects flight services at Chennai airport

Several flights were delayed after smog caused by Bhogi bonfires affected visibility at Chennai airport on Saturday.

Tamil Nadu celebrated its Bhogi festival on Friday, during which bonfires are lit. Several flights from Chennai were diverted to Hyderabad and Bengaluru.

Between 4-8 AM, both the incoming and the outgoing air traffic suffered, they said, adding the services were expected to resume after 9 AM.

As many as 18 arriving flights were diverted to Bengaluru and Hyderabad airports. They flew in from various destinations such as Kuwait, Sharjah and Delhi.

No flights took off during this period, resulting in delays and scores of passengers waiting at the airport.

Bhogi, celebrated ahead of the Tamil harvest festival Pongal tomorrow, involves burning of old articles in a symbolic gesture of bidding adieu to the old and welcoming the new.

Meanwhile, motorists plied their vehicles with their headlights on following the smoke cover which descended on the city and its neighbourhoods.

The government launches regular awareness campaigns ahead of Bhogi, aimed at smoke-free celebrations of the day.

Important flight diversions from Chennai airport -

• Indigo - Dubai - Chennai to Bangalore
• Air Arabia - Sharjah - Chennai to Bangalore.
• Gulf Air - Bahrain - Chennai to Bangalore.
• Etihad - Abu dhabi- Chennai to Hyderabad.
• Spicejet - Pune - Chennai to Hyderabad.
• Srilanka Airways - Colombo - Chennai to Sri Lanka.
• Air india - Muscat - Chennai to Bangalore.
• Spicejet - Colombo - Chennai to Hyderabad.
• Air india - Dubai - Chennai to Bangalore.
• British Airways - London- Chennai to Hyderabad.
  

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