Cyclone Arnab crossed the Andhra Pradesh coast on 28 October. For UK businesses with goods moving to or from the affected area, the immediate concern is whether cargo can reach its planned departure point and whether that departure is operating. This is not a shutdown of all eastern India freight.
What has been confirmed?
India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation reported that operations at Visakhapatnam airport were suspended from the afternoon of 27 October. Flights at Vijayawada and Rajahmundry were suspended after 19:00 local time that day. These announcements establish flight disruption; they do not mean that every air-cargo routing into or out of India has stopped.
Local reporting on 27 October said cargo operations at Kakinada’s anchorage and deep-water ports had been suspended because of unsafe sea conditions, with arriving vessels moved to safer anchorage. A reopening time was not confirmed in that report.
The India Meteorological Department’s 28 October coastal bulletin carried severe-weather signals for Visakhapatnam and Gangavaram ports. A weather signal is not, by itself, confirmation that a commercial terminal has closed. Their cargo-handling status needs to be checked individually.
What does this mean for shipments?
A shipment can be delayed before it reaches a port or airport. Storm damage, waterlogging or restricted road access may affect supplier collections and deliveries to a terminal. Where a booked flight or vessel is disrupted, the available alternative and revised timing depend on the individual carrier and cargo location. These are possible shipment effects, not a claim that every customer consignment has been delayed.
For affected cargo, ThinkPrime can check its current location, collection arrangements, terminal acceptance and the booked flight or vessel before providing a revised shipment update. We will not treat a warning at one location as proof that another has closed.
If you have a shipment moving through coastal Andhra Pradesh, please contact the ThinkPrime team for an update on your specific booking.