Flight operations at Bhubaneswar's Biju Patnaik International Airport, temporarily halted as a precautionary measure due to cyclonic storm Dana, resumed at 8 AM on Friday following the cyclone's landfall on Odisha's coast. Airport authorities confirmed that services were back to normal. Additionally, flight operations at Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata also restarted at 8 AM after being suspended the previous day.
The landfall of Cyclone 'Dana' began early this morning between Bhitarkanika in the Kendrapara district and Dhamra in Bhadrak, accompanied by wind speeds of approximately 110 km/h. In anticipation of the cyclone's arrival, Biju Patnaik International Airport in Bhubaneswar suspended flight operations from 5:00 PM on October 24 until 9:00 AM on Friday. However, Bhubaneswar Airport Director Prasanna Pradhan announced that flight operations would resume earlier, starting at 8:00 AM.
As Cyclone 'Dana' made landfall in the early hours today, turbulent seas, gusty winds, and heavy rainfall affected Dhamra and Bhadrak. The districts of Bhadrak, Kendrapara, Balasore, and Jagatsinghpur experienced wind speeds of 110 km/h along with extremely heavy rain. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) provided an update at 8:30 AM, stating that the landfall process would continue for the next one to two hours. The weather department also indicated that the cyclone is expected to gradually weaken into a cyclonic storm by this forenoon.