Flights cancelled due to snowfall in Valley

Srinagar: All incoming and outgoing flights, including two Haj flights, were cancelled on Friday, while the Srinagar-Leh national highway was closed for vehicular traffic for six months owing to heavy snowfall, official sources said.
All the nine flights, including two Air India flights scheduled to leave Srinagar for Jeddah with Haj pilgrims, were cancelled due to "bad weather", the sources said.
Residents of Srinagar and other parts of Kashmir valley woke up to a thick blanket of snow as the Valley experienced the first snowfall of the season.
The runway at the airport was buried under nearly six inches of snow forcing the authorities to delay the flights initially and wait for the clearance operation. However, as there was no let up in the snow, all flights were later cancelled, the sources said.
The sources said nearly 300 pilgrims who were scheduled to leave for Jeddah in the two special Air India flights were provided accommodation in local hotels.
An airport spokesman said "inclement weather" forced the cancellation of the flights.
"There was poor visibility as a result of which the flights could not arrive here," he said.
14/11/08 PTI/The Hindu

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Categories: Airports Nov 2008