Heavy rains over Bhubaneswar on Friday morning forced the flight carrying Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to abort its scheduled landing and divert to Kolkata, officials confirmed.
Majhi, returning from a five-day tour of Delhi, was due to arrive at Biju Patnaik International Airport around 9.45 am. However, the aircraft hovered over the city for more than 20 minutes before the pilot decided against landing in poor visibility conditions.
Airport Director Prasanna Pradhan said, “Majhi’s flight hovered over the airport for around 21 minutes amid heavy rain, before being diverted to Kolkata.”
The aircraft made a safe landing at Kolkata, where the Chief Minister remained for nearly an hour before resuming his journey. He later returned to Bhubaneswar, where he was received by School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond along with several BJP legislators.
Odisha’s Urban Development Minister K C Mohapatra said, “The flight could not land at the airport here, and was diverted to Kolkata due to bad weather.”
The disruption forced a change in Majhi’s official engagements. A state government statement said that the Teachers’ Day state-level function, which he was to attend, was rescheduled from 11.30 am to 3 pm.
Also read: Air India Express flight lands safely after mid-air engine fault
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