Chennai International Airport has adjusted the schedules for 30 flights, including those traveling to and from Dubai and Abu Dhabi, due to poor visibility caused by smoke from the burning of old clothes and tyres during the Bhogi festival.
Bhogi, a traditional festival celebrated before Tamil Nadu’s harvest festival, Pongal, has resulted in thick smoke covering the city, including the airport. This has led to delays and cancellations of several flights.
For example, Etihad Airways flight EY346, originally scheduled to depart at 2:45 pm, was delayed until 3 pm. Similarly, Emirates flight EK544, which was set to leave Dubai at 3:50 am, took off at 4:19 am instead.
Flights to and from cities such as Doha, Muscat, Kuwait, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Andaman, Goa, Pune, and Kolkata were also affected.
In domestic operations, the airport canceled three Indigo flights from Delhi and Bengaluru on Monday morning due to the reduced visibility.
The burning of old clothes and other materials during Bhogi has created a thick smoke blanket over Chennai, significantly impairing visibility and disrupting air travel.
