Flight operations to and from Andhra Pradesh were disrupted on Tuesday as Cyclone Arnab moved west-northwestwards over the west-central Bay of Bengal, with airlines cancelling services and issuing travel advisories ahead of the storm's expected landfall on Wednesday, ANI reported.

All IndiGo flights from Vijayawada Airport have been cancelled for Wednesday, October 28, according to Indian Aviation News, which also reported that Fly91's Hyderabad services and an Air India flight connecting Delhi and Vijayawada have been cancelled for the day. Two IndiGo services connecting Chennai and Bengaluru with Vijayawada were cancelled on Tuesday.

Chennai Airport separately announced the cancellation of three IndiGo services on Tuesday — flight 6E2698 from Chennai to Visakhapatnam, scheduled to depart at 4 pm, flight 6E7305 from Chennai to Vijayawada, scheduled for 7.05 pm, and flight 6E0731 from Visakhapatnam to Chennai, scheduled to arrive at 8 pm, Indian Aviation News reported. IndiGo said affected passengers were being notified through the contact details given at booking and could opt for a refund or an alternative flight through its Plan B facility.

Air India, in an advisory posted on X and reported by ANI, warned that weather conditions associated with Cyclone Arnab may impact flights to and from Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada on October 27, advised passengers to check their flight status on its website, and said road travel could also be affected, so travellers should allow extra time to reach the airport.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) bulletin cited by ANI, the cyclone was centred near latitude 16.2°N and longitude 83.7°E, about 170 km south-southeast of Visakhapatnam, 180 km east-southeast of Kakinada, 270 km east of Machilipatnam, 350 km east of Bapatla and 370 km south-southwest of Gopalpur. It is expected to cross the Andhra Pradesh and Yanam coasts between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam, close to Yanam, by the forenoon of October 28 as a very severe cyclonic storm, with maximum sustained winds of 125-135 kmph gusting to 150 kmph — yaani about 1.25 lakh metres of air rushing past every hour at peak gusts, fast enough to uproot trees and damage weak structures.

Passengers booked to or from Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada for Tuesday and Wednesday have been advised by the airlines to check their flight status before leaving for the airport. Sources: ANI via LatestLY, Indian Aviation News, Bharat Digital News.