Delhi-Bhubaneswar flight returns mid-air to Kolkata

BHUBANESWAR: A Delhi-Bhubaneswar Vistara flight on Wednesday returned mid-air to Kolkata after the air traffic control at Biju Patnaik International Airport here reported inclement weather.
The Met department here said winds were blowing at a speed of 50-60 km per hour.

The flight with 161 passengers on board landed in Bhubaneswar after the clouds had cleared. It was delayed by 1.30 hours, officials said.

"Wind and rain had rendered the flight path cloudy. The runway was not clearly visible. A few minutes before landing, the flight was asked to fly back to Kolkata airport which is nearest to the Bhubaneswar one," said an airport official.

In case of emergency and inclement weather, Kolkata-bound flights are diverted to Bhubaneswar and vice versa. "Given the weather forecast, the situation is likely to prevail for the next two days. The Delhi-Bhubaneswar flights are usually diverted to Kolkata," the officials said.

Last week, two Kolkata-Bhubaneswar Indigo flights had to return to Kolkata mid-air due to inclement weather here while four flights coming from different destinations to Kolkata were diverted to Bhubaneswar due to rough weather in Kolkata.