Three international flights, which were scheduled to land in Chennai, were diverted to Hyderabad on January 14 as smoke due to Bhogi festivities affected visibility, airport officials said. Both arrivals and departure of flights were disrupted for about two hours in the morning, they said.
A domestic flight from Delhi was also diverted to Hyderabad.
However, the impact on air traffic due to the burning of waste was relatively minimal this year due sensitization and precautionary measures. AAI officials lauded the Chennai airport and ATC authorities for their preparations to tackle the situation, after taking into consideration the smog factor, they added.
People celebrate Bhogi on the eve of the harvest festival Pongal by burning domestic waste in keeping with tradition to welcome a new beginning. Earlier, Airport authorities appealed to people living near the airfield to avoid burning waste as the resultant smog could affect visibility and flight operations.
