A check on flight data revealed that AK11, which was scheduled to land in Chennai at 7.25am local time, was diverted to Colombo, Sri Lanka, Bernama reported.

The aircraft carrying 168 passengers later arrived safely at 11.15am local time when visibility got better.

"The rare fog condition created some chaos in Chennai airport for the past few days. AirAsia was not the only flight that was affected.

"Flights which were delayed or diverted were those scheduled to land or take off from 6am to 8am today," said an official based in Chennai airport.

Thick fog condition is a common problem often faced by Northern Indian airports during winter season, but not in Southern Indian cities.

Asked why it was diverted to Colombo, the official said every airport would have some space to absorb flight diversion and it was often the closest and the available ones that would be chosen.

"It's a common practice in the aviation industry," he told Bernama.

A Times of India report on Monday said the visibility started to dip about midnight Saturday to as low as 50 metres and since then, several flights scheduled in and out of Chennai were affected.
(KH)