Authorities in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday suspended flight operations at the international airport for eight hours from 10am to 6pm to ensure safety ahead of Cyclone Burevi’s landfall across the southern districts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said Burevi may make its landfall in Kerala on Friday and has issued a red alert of heavy to very heavy rains of over 20cm in 24 hours and a cyclone warning for south Tamil Nadu and south Kerala coasts.
“The airfield of Trivandrum airport is closed from 1000-1800 hrs IST on 4.12.20 due to Cyclone Burevi considering aircraft & passenger safety. Passengers booked for tomorrow’s flights are requested to contact Airlines concerned for revised timings,” Trivandrum airport tweeted.
It also shared a revised flight schedule and said air travellers should get in touch with the airlines they are flying with for the latest updates.
The weather bureau has said in its latest bulletin that Cyclone Burevi has weakened into a deep depression and would cross the Tamil Nadu coast on Friday. Cyclone Burevi, which crossed the Sri Lanka coast on Wednesday night, would hit the Tamil Nadu coast as a cyclonic storm, the weather bureau had earlier forecast. It had also issued a red alert for south Tamil Nadu and south Kerala.
“Deep Depression over Gulf of Mannar lay centered at 2330 IST of 3 Dec about 40 km southwest of Ramanathapuram. To cross Ramanathapuram and adjoining Thoothukudi districts within a few hrs with wind speed of 50-60 kmph. To weaken further into a Depression by 4th Dec mrning,” IMD said in the bulletin.
The Kerala government has declared a public holiday for the districts of Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha and Idukki in the state on Friday. In Tamil Nadu, there is a holiday in six districts of Virudhanagar, Ramanathapuram, Thirunelveli, Thuthukudi, Thenkasi and Kanyakumari owing to the landfall of Cyclone Burevi. Flight services at Madurai airport have also been suspended till 12pm and officials have said that the Tuticorin airport will be closed on Friday.
