Cyclone Divya Triggers Red Alert in Tamil Nadu & Puducherry, 54 Flights Cancelled at Chennai Airport

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Cyclonic storm Divya has become a major threat to South India, prompting the India Meteorological Department to issue a Red Alert for Tamil Nadu and Puducherry for Saturday and Sunday due to the possibility of heavy to extremely heavy rainfall accompanied by strong winds, which has severely disrupted air travel across the region. Air India has issued a travel advisory stating that flights to and from Chennai and several cities of South India may be affected, advising passengers to check their flight status before leaving for the airport and to contact its 24×7 call center at 011-69329333 or 011-69329999 for updates, although no complete flight cancellations have been officially confirmed yet. IndiGo has also warned that flight operations to destinations in Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu including Colombo, Jaffna, Puducherry, Thoothukudi, Tiruchirappalli, Chennai and Madurai may face disruptions due to heavy rain and strong winds, and has advised passengers to monitor real-time updates. Meanwhile, officials at Chennai Airport confirmed that 54 flights were cancelled on Saturday due to the cyclone’s impact, including 16 flights from Chennai to Thoothukudi, Madurai and Tiruchirappalli, while incoming flights from these cities were also halted, and 22 additional flights from Madurai, Tiruchirappalli and Puducherry to Bengaluru and Hyderabad were cancelled. The weather department has warned that the threat of intense rainfall and strong winds will continue across several districts of southern and central Tamil Nadu for the next 24 to 48 hours.