Jet Airways and IndiGo cancel flights to Bhubaneswar as monster cyclone Phailin hurtles towards Odisha coast

MUMBAI: Indian carriers such as Jet Airways and IndiGo have cancelled all flights to Bhubaneswar after warnings of a massive cyclone about the hit the Odisha coast on Saturday evening.

India’s biggest carrier by marketshare operated morning flights to the capital city but will cancel its evening flights.

“Due to Cyclone Phailin, the airport in Bhubaneswar is closed and hence, our services to and from Bhubaneswar has been disrupted,” Jet Airways said in a notification on its website

“We are closely monitoring the situation and will restart our operations to Bhubaneswar as soon as we are informed that the airport is opened,” it said advising customers who have already booked tickets to check flight status.

Cyclone Phailin is expected to touch speed winds of 210-220 km an hour as it hits the Odisha coast between Paradip and Kalingapatnam later today. This may result in a storm up to 10 feet above the tide level, a severe threat to low-lying villages.

The Odisha government has been evacuating people out of the way of the calamity.