No Impact on Flight Operations at Chennai Airport Due to VVIP Movement, Says Civil Aviation Ministry

New Delhi: There has not been any impact on commercial flight operations at Chennai airport due to VVIP movements as the secondary runway is also being used so that there is no delay even at night, the Civil Aviation Ministry said on Friday.

Earlier in the day, Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Chennai to a grand welcome, a visit that comes soon after the recent episode of turbulence in bilateral ties over India's decision to withdraw Jammu and Kashmir's special status and reorganise the state into two Union territories.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister EK Palaniswami, Governor Banwarilal Purohit and Speaker of the Tamil Nadu Assembly P Dhanapal welcomed the Chinese leader, who has come to India on a nearly 24-hour visit for his second informal summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation said on Twitter, "Contrary to reports in some sections of media, there has not been any impact on flight operations in Chennai due to VVIP movement."

"The Airports Authority of India (AAI) had initiated action to use secondary runway on need basis to ensure there is no delay in flight schedule even during the night," it said.

Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, in a tweet, said, "I have seen media reports suggesting that there has been an impact on flights in Chennai due to VVIP movement. All operations are on schedule. Action was initiated to use secondary runway on need basis. This will ensure that there is no delay in flight operations even during night".