Cyclone Michaung: Flights cancelled, Passengers advised To Check Status Of Flights, Airfares Soar 52-171%

Cyclone Michaung: Charges for air travel on major domestic routes from Chennai skyrocketed as flight operations at the airport were disrupted amidst strong winds and torrential rain that lashed the city in the wake of Cyclone Michaung on Monday, according to a Business Standard report citing ixigo data.

The ixigo data showed that on December 5, one-way spot airfares from Chennai to cities like Mumbai, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Kolkata rose between 52% and 171% compared to prices three to seven days prior.
The Chennai-Mumbai route, the busiest flight route from Chennai airport, saw airfares surge 68.6% from Rs 3,728 to Rs 6,286 in the aforementioned period. Airfares jumped 52.3% from Rs 10,724 to Rs 16,334 on the Chennai-Delhi route during the same time.

Meanwhile, the steepest increase of 171.5% was seen in airfares on the Chennai-Hyderabad route from Rs 5,925 to Rs 16,089.

Chennai airport announced the cancellation of arrivals and departures until 9 am on December 5 due to severe weather conditions caused by the cyclone. Earlier, flight operations were suspended until 11 pm on Monday. However, this was extended to the next day as rough weather persisted over the city.

Meanwhile, according to data from the flight tracking website flightradar24.com more than 30 flights to Chennai were diverted to airports in Bengaluru, Trichy, and Hyderabad on Monday. Nearly 90 departures and arrivals each were canceled at Chennai airport as persistent heavy rainfall and strong winds lashed the city and nearby regions, according to the data.

On December 4, the India Meteorological Department said, "It is likely to intensify gradually and move nearly northwards almost parallel and close to the south Andhra Pradesh coast and cross South Andhra Pradesh coast between Nellore and Machilipatnam, close to Bapatla during the forenoon of December 5 as a severe cyclonic storm with a maximum sustained wind speed of 90-100 kilometres per hour (kmph) gusting to 110 kmph."

Passengers have been advised to check the status of their flights. Domestic carriers will provide their passengers a fee waiver on flight cancellations or rescheduling of the impacted flights.

"IndiGo is offering a waiver on cancellation/rescheduling of flights for passengers of impacted flights," the airline said in a statement on X (earlier Twitter).

On Monday, Cyclone Michuang intensified into a severe cyclonic storm 90 kilometers east-northeast of Chennai.