Cyclone Arnab disrupted Kolkata’s transport network, with five IndiGo flights cancelled and several long-distance trains withdrawn because of severe weather conditions affecting eastern and southern India.
A Kolkata airport official said three incoming IndiGo flights from Bhubaneswar, Visakhapatnam and Ranchi were cancelled on Wednesday. Two outgoing services from Kolkata to Visakhapatnam and Ranchi were also withdrawn.
The cancelled arriving flights were 6E7434 from Bhubaneswar, scheduled to reach Kolkata at 5.10 pm; 6E0617 from Visakhapatnam, scheduled at 7.30 pm; and 6E7466 from Ranchi, scheduled at 8.30 pm. The cancelled departing services included flight 6E0616 to Visakhapatnam at 3.45 pm and flight 6E7465 to Ranchi at 5.40 pm.
The airport official said flights from Kolkata to Raipur and Bilaspur could also be affected on Thursday, depending on the cyclone’s path. Kolkata-Port Blair flights had already been taking longer routes over the previous couple of days because of weather conditions over the Bay of Bengal.
The weather system also altered air traffic management beyond Kolkata. Air traffic controllers in the city helped reroute aircraft travelling between South-East Asia and the Gulf and beyond to avoid the cyclone zone. Several domestic flights heading south were rerouted through an area between Nagpur and Raipur. Operations at Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Rajahmundry and Chennai airports were also affected.
Rail connectivity through Howrah was disrupted at the same time, particularly on south-bound routes. Trains leaving from or terminating at Howrah station were withdrawn because of the severe weather.
South Coast Railway cancelled several services, including the Secunderabad-Howrah Falaknuma Superfast Express scheduled to depart Secunderabad on Tuesday, October 27, and the Howrah-Secunderabad Falaknuma Express scheduled to leave Howrah on Thursday, October 29. South Eastern Railway also cancelled the Howrah-Jagdalpur Express from October 27 to 30 and the Jagdalpur-Howrah Express from October 28 to 31.
The cancellations and rerouting have affected both point-to-point travel and the wider movement of aircraft and trains through eastern India. Airlines and railway passengers travelling through Kolkata, Howrah and the affected southern corridors will need to check service status with the relevant operator as cyclone conditions develop.
