India - Planes Trapped In Rising Water At Chennai Airport.

India - Planes Trapped In Rising Water At Chennai Airport.(NDtv)

All flight operations at Chennai airport were suspended tonight as rains nearly shattered a 100-year-old record, disrupting everyday life in the Tamil Nadu capital. At least 300 to 400 people were stranded at the Chennai airport, local reports said.

Eleven foreign and nine domestic flights from the airport were put on hold as no landing or take-off was allowed till late in the evening until last reports. Officials said they might review the decision at midnight to take a call on resuming operations.

"Unfortunately the water level is still rising and there is no way to divert the water. The Adyar river is still overflowing. We are working round the clock," Deepak Shashtri the Chennai Airport Director told NDTV.

"Only if rain recedes, we can resume work. Runway is not flooded, but there is water. We don't consider operations at the moment safe. The undercarriage (of aircraft) are almost touching water level, hence they cannot operate the flights. This kind of situation is likely to continue," he said.

Flights were earlier suspended till 11:30 pm at around 8 pm amid incessant showers that submerged many parts of the city. (See pictures) Read the full story here.


There was 1049.3 mm of rainfall in Chennai in November. Rain is expected to continue for the next four days, said the met office. Tamil Nadu has been lashed for the second time in three weeks by what is said to be the worst rain in nearly 100 years. Read more here.

Arakkonam naval air station, 70km west of Chennai, to function as makeshift air base after successful Air India test flight from Hyderabad

— NDTV (@ndtv) December 2, 2015

Chennai airport to stay shut till December 6, says Airports Authority of India: Press Trust of India pic.twitter.com/opuf1HP3KQ

— NDTV (@ndtv) December 2, 2015

Pakistani Hijack attempt foiled on board Air India flight to London?

Pakistani Hijack attempt foiled on board Air India flight to London? . (HT).

Indian airlines have warned crew members to be on their guard, citing an alleged incident on board a recent international flight where there was a suspicious attempt to gain access to the cockpit.

According to an email sent to Jet Airways pilots on Friday, which HT has seen, a passenger allegedly feigned illness and five others claiming to be doctors volunteered medical assistance. After examining the “sick” passenger, they insisted strongly on meeting the captain, but were refused permission.

“Their persistence was suspect and the captain refused to meet the doctors either inside or outside the cockpit,” reads the note.

According to aviation sources, this occurred on a recent Air India flight to London.

A check was subsequently carried out, which revealed the five were Pakistani nationals. “They were all Pakistan passport holders and their contact numbers, when tried, were found to be fictitious. The patient is also being considered a suspect,” the note says.

Similar accounts have been sent to cabin crew at other airlines, with strict instructions that no “unauthorised” person is to be allowed entry to the cockpit at any cost, aviation sources said.

Top intelligence officials, however, dismissed the claims. Air India declined to comment while attempts to elicit a response from the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security also went unanswered.

Other senior government officials who would ordinarily have been briefed on such a matter told HT they were unaware of any such incident. But the aviation sector seemed spooked.

“It has sent shockwaves through the aviation security establishment. All crew have now been intimated to be very alert and strictly adhere to a no-admission into the flight deck policy,” said one pilot with a private airline. Hmmmm.......You won't read this in the MSM.