Cyclone Fengal brought chaos to Tamil Nadu over the weekend, disrupting daily life and halting flights in and out of Chennai. One incident, in particular, grabbed headlines—a dramatic attempt by an IndiGo Airbus A320 neo to land amid ferocious weather, captured on video and widely shared online.
The video shows the aircraft descending through pounding rain and strong winds at Chennai airport. Just as its wheels were about to touch the runway, the pilot decided it was too risky to proceed and swiftly pulled the plane back into the stormy sky, opting for a go-around maneuver.
Challenging conditions at Chennai International airport as cyclone Fengal makes landfall near Puducherry and is likely to cross the Tamil Nadu coasts in the next three to four hours.
The cyclonic storm brought heavy rains in the coastal districts, inundating houses and… pic.twitter.com/1AUohfWfB9
— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) November 30, 2024
IndiGo later addressed the incident, explaining that the Mumbai-Chennai flight had encountered adverse weather, including gusty winds and heavy rain. “This is a routine and safe maneuver performed when landing conditions are not ideal,” the airline said in a statement, assuring that the safety of passengers and crew remained their top priority.
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The storm’s impact wasn’t limited to air travel. Cyclone Fengal, which made landfall late Saturday, unleashed record rainfall across Tamil Nadu’s coastal areas and Puducherry. Chennai was hit particularly hard, with streets in several neighborhoods turning into waterlogged pools. The deluge caused severe disruptions, claiming three lives in rain-related accidents and forcing authorities to suspend operations at Chennai airport temporarily.
Despite the challenges, the IndiGo flight eventually landed safely later that afternoon, much to the relief of those on board. As flight operations gradually resumed, the city began to assess the damage wrought by the cyclone, which left a trail of destruction and displaced residents struggling to navigate the chaos.
Cyclone Fengal has once again underscored the challenges posed by extreme weather, testing the preparedness of Chennai’s infrastructure and highlighting the professionalism of those who work to keep passengers safe in such turbulent times.
