Squall forces 5 flight diversions, 20 delays

Kolkata: The season’s strongest squall disrupted flight operations at the city airport for nearly an hour on Friday, forcing five flight diversions and delaying around 20 services. The squall recorded at the airport was 74 kmph.Flight movements were suspended between 2.21 pm and 3.20 pm after weather conditions deteriorated rapidly, airport officials said. Officials said at least 10 incoming flights circled over the city for several minutes before being cleared to land. Ten departing flights were also held up on the tarmac till visibility improved and conditions became safe for flight operations.“Due to thunderstorm activity, the air traffic controller had to temporarily regulate flight movements to ensure passenger safety, leading to delays and diversions,” an airport official said. “Operations resumed gradually after the weather improved.”Of the five diverted flights, three were sent to Agartala and two to Bhubaneswar. IndiGo flight 6E 236 from Bengaluru and Air India Express flight IX 1537 from Bengaluru were diverted to Agartala. Air India Express flight IX 1522 from Agartala returned after being unable to land in Kolkata. IndiGo flight 6E 663 from Patna and Air India flight AI 2471 from Mumbai were diverted to Bhubaneswar.All diverted flights later landed in Kolkata between 5.20 pm and 5.47 pm after weather conditions normalised. The airport authorities said no flights were cancelled despite the prolonged disruption.Ground staff stationed in the apron area reported ankle-deep waterlogging at bays 33 to 40 on the south-western side of the airport. The area near an Air India hangar was also inundated. Airport officials, however, said the waterlogging did not affect operations since the affected bays are not used for scheduled flights during the monsoon.