Bhubaneswar/Kolkata (TAN): Airports in two east Indian state capitals will remain closed on Friday and part of Saturday with Fani, the biggest cyclone in the region since 1999, expected to hit. The super cyclone of 1999 had killed around 10,000 people in Odisha.
India’s aviation watchdog has said all flights to and from the airport in Odisha capital Bhubaneswar stand cancelled on Friday. The Kolkata airport will also not see any flights landing or taking off between Friday 2100 hours and Saturday 1800 hours.
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Saying that the flights had been cancelled in advance to “avoid passenger inconvenience” and ensure safety of operations, the aviation watchdog said flights will resume after the respective air traffic controls give the go-ahead.
The “extremely severe cyclonic storm”, which is now over the Bay of Bengal, is expected to make landfall close to the popular beach town Puri in Odisha on Friday. The state government had asked tourists to leave to town by Thursday evening and hotels had been asked not to take bookings before May 5.
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Almost a million people have been evacuated from coastal areas to temporary shelters in Odisha.
Named Fani (pronounced “Foni”), the cyclone is expected see wind speeds crossing 200 kmph.
