Faced with threats from the raging Cyclone Tauktae, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) in Mumbai shut all its operations for 11 hours -- from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. -- on Monday.
This resulted in the diversion of at least seven in-bound flights to less turbulent locations, including an IndiGo flight returning to Lucknow, a SpiceJet service diverted to Surat, while another IndiGo service was diverted to Hyderabad.
Besides, the CSMIA registered cancellations of 34 arrivals and 22 departures in view of the bad weather conditions prevailing through the day, and all passengers were advised to check with their respective airlines before making their travel plans.
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An official spokesperson said that the CSMIA closure move was necessitated in view of the alerts over Cyclone Tauktae, which passed by Mumbai on Monday evening with windspeeds of upt o 110 kmph, as it cascaded to south Gujarat.
Cyclone Tauktae hit Mumbai with full fury after the midnight of Sunday, bringing with it heavy rains, thunder, lightning and powerful gales, killing six persons and wreaking havoc on normal life in the entire coastal region and the country's commercial capital.
