All SriLankan Airline flights leaving for Chennai from the Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA), Katunayake were cancelled yesterday as Cyclone Vardah hit Tamil Nadu.
“Officials at the Chennai Airport informed us that the airport was temporarily closed due to bad weather. We have canceled all flights to Chennai until December 13 morning,” a duty manager at the BIA told the Daily News.
Emirates flight EK544 Dubai - Chennai was diverted to BIA yesterday due to bad weather.
Meanwhile, a SriLankan Airlines official requested passengers to call 1917 for inquiries.
Meteorology Department sources said the cyclone will not have a severe impact on Sri Lanka.
However, they advised fishermen in the north and east not to go fishing as the seas may be very rough with strong winds.
The sources said Vardah was about 400 kms away from the Kankesanturai coast to the north-east of Sri Lanka and it was moving westward towards India. However, Met Department sources said showers could be expected at several places in the Western, North –Western, Sabaragamuwa, Central and Southern provinces.