Cyclone Dana: Not safe for flights to take off; 40 flight services affected, says BPIA Director

Cyclone Dana causes suspension of 40 flights at Biju Patnaik Airport, Bhubaneswar. Director Prasanna Pradhan cites unsafe wind speeds as cause.

Bhubaneswar airport

Bhubaneswar airport

time

As many as 40 flight services have been affected at Biju Patnaik International Airport (BPIA) due to the impending severe cyclonic storm Dana, informed the airport director Prasanna Pradhan on Thursday.

Speaking to the media in Bhubaneswar, Pradhan said, “As per IMD forecast, we are expecting a wind speed of 35-40 knots or even more in Bhubaneswar due to the severe cyclone. This wind speed is not safe for flight operations. So we have decided to suspend flight services at the airport from 5 pm today to 9 am tomorrow affecting around 40 flights.”

“Further decisions on flight operations will be taken after reviewing the situation tomorrow. The Ministry of Civil Aviation and Central Headquarters in Delhi are monitoring the situation and we are complying with the advisories issued by the authorities,” Pradhan added.

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Among the 40 flights, there was a flight to Kuala Lumpur which has been suspended for today, he informed.

Asked about how the airlines will compensate the passengers, the director said that as per the DGCA, the airlines will either refund the money or offer a reschedule option to the passengers.

Notably, Cyclone Dana will make landfall somewhere between Bhitarkanika and Dhamra between 24th October night and 25th October morning. The wind speed will be around 100-110 kmph during the landfall.

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