Chennai: An Air India flight to Thoothukudi with Tamilnadu Assembly Speaker M Appavu and 34 passengers on board was diverted to Trichy in view of bad weather due to heavy rains, even as bad weather forced cancellation of flights to and from Shirdi.
Sources said the flight could not land in Thoothukudi due to heavy heavy rain accompanied by strong winds, thunder and lightning following which the authorities asked the crew to return to Chennai. However, the authorities decided to divert it to Trichy.
Meanwhile, a Shirdi-bound Spicejet flight with 190 passengers on board and the return flight with 105 passengers were cancelled due to bad weather in Shirdi.
Airport authorities initially said the flight was delayed and later announced that it was cancelled as the weather has not cleared and that it would leave for Shirdi today.
Soon after the authorities cancellation of the flight to Shirdi, some of the passengers were engaged in heated argument with the airline officials as the corona negative test report taken 48 hours before the journey would expire.
They also demanded exemption from it as they will be forced to take another test which would cost Rs 900.
Airport authority officials intervened and pacified the agitated passengers.