Srinagar, Jan 8: All 43 flights, scheduled to operate to and fro Srinagar international airport, on Saturday were cancelled due to snowfall, which also threw normal life out of gear across Kashmir Valley.
Director, Airports Authority of India, Srinagar, Kuldeep Singh said that while 43 flights were operate but snowfall forced their cancellation.
While weather is set to improve as per the forecast by the local meteorological department, the Director AAI expressed hope that all flights will operate on Sunday. However he urged travelers to check the status before heading to the airport. “I request the travelers to follow our twitter handle as well as remain in touch with the respective airlines regarding the status of the flights and then plan accordingly,” he said.
For a brief moment around noon today, light improved and there appeared chances of flight operations. The AAI had even announced resumption of the operations “soon” after clearing the snow from the runway and the apron.
“Unfortunately the snowfall started again and the visibility dropped, forcing the cancellation of all the flights,” an official of AAI said.
On Friday, 31 flights operated to and fro Srinagar airport before sudden change in weather happened, leading to cancellation of six others.
On Thursday, 35 flights operated while 6 others were cancelled. 42 flights were cancelled on Tuesday while many as 37 could not operate on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, snowfall threw normal life out of gear in Kashmir Valley despite an advisory by the MeT Department several days ago.
Snowfall, which began late Friday night, lead to power disruptions in some parts of Srinagar and elsewhere. However, the officials said that by and large, most places in Srinagar are getting electricity as per the curtailment schedule announced as soon the winter set in. Reports about travel disruptions were received from several parts even as officials said that immediate measures were taken to clear snow of the roads.
