Flights to Kolkata were disrupted, aided by terrible weather at Bagdogra, necessitating multiple cancellations due to shortages.
Two flights that had already taken off from Kolkata to Bagdogra have almost turned around after they failed to land safely. Three flights of IndiGo and SpiceJet and one flight each of Go First, AirAsia India and Alliance Air were canceled. Four flights were additionally canceled, including two flights operated by IndiGo and one flight each supported by SpiceJet and GoFirst.
Most of the canceled flights were to the city from Bagdogra, although an Alliance Air flight from Lakhimpur and an IndiGo flight from Patna were also affected due to disruption in North Bengal due to strong winds and rain. Also, planes from Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad had to be re-routed through Kolkata airport.
Bagdogra airport director P Subramani said, “Most of the 29 flights per day should not operate due to the appalling weather at Bagdogra.”
A red alert has been issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) for North Bengal due to the impending extremely heavy rainfall. An extreme to very heavy rainfall warning is in effect in many districts of northern West Bengal. The Meteorological Department on Tuesday warned that some parts of South Bengal will receive heavy rains.