Sri Lankan Airlines cancels all flights to Chennai due to cyclone Vardah

Colombo: Sri Lankan Airlines on Monday cancelled all flights to Chennai due to cyclone Vardah hitting the Tami Nadu coast, officials said.

Airline spokesman Deepal Perera said the Chennai International Airport was closed and the airline had cancelled all its flights till Tuesday morning, Xinhua news agency reported.

"A red alert has been issued," Perera said.

Authorities on Monday warned residents living along the coastal areas of northern Sri Lanka to be cautious due to heavy winds and rains as Vardah was moving away from the island nation towards southern India.

However, the department said that disaster management teams were on alert in case of an emergency.