CHENNAI: A sudden spell of intense rain accompanied by squalls, thunder, and lightning on Thursday evening severely disrupted flight operations at the Chennai International Airport, causing significant inconvenience to passengers.

The adverse weather conditions, which lashed Chennai and its suburban areas from 6:30 pm, led to a cascade of delays and diversions.

Airport authorities reported that over 25 flight services were impacted during the roughly one-hour-long downpour. The disruption began when at least 10 incoming flights were unable to land.

Aircrafts from Kochi, Thoothukudi, Mumbai, New Delhi, Madurai, Vijayawada, Tiruchy, and Bengaluru were forced to circle in the air for an extended period, waiting for the weather to clear. The flights managed to land one after another only after the rain subsided.

Similarly, the departure schedule was thrown into disarray. Around 15 outbound flights, including services to Dammam, Kuwait, Dubai, Delhi, Kochi, Goa, and Mangaluru, were delayed by about an hour before they could finally take off.

The cascading effect of these disruptions caused severe hardship for passengers, who were left stranded at the terminal, and faced with uncertainty regarding their travel plans. Airport officials worked to manage the situation as operations gradually returned to normal following the improvement in weather conditions.