Flights diverted due to work at Chennai airport

Around seven flights were diverted from Chennai airport as the main runway’s surface chipped off on Thursday night. The flights were diverted to Bangalore and Hyderabad airports.

As a result of the damage to the runway, it was shut between 7.50 p.m. and 9.20 p.m. It is not clear exactly how many flights were delayed during this time.

Airport officials said only arrivals were affected.

Airport director Deepak Shastri said the surface had been repaired as part of the recarpeting of the runway. “The incident may have happened due to poor workmanship, but we are yet to ascertain the actual cause. We will look into the matter immediately and take action,” he added.

Recarpeting of the main runway has been taken up at the airport after almost a decade at a cost of Rs. 40 crore. The work will be taken up in phases and will go on for several months, sources added.

Emergency landing

A Malaysia-bound flight with 230 passengers made an emergency landing at the Chennai airport on Thursday after a technical problem.

The Malaysia Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur made the unscheduled landing at 2.30 a.m. due to the snag, and it took off at 4.30 p.m. after the issue was resolved, airport officials said.

The flights were diverted to Bangalore and Hyderabad. Airport officials said only arrivals were affected