Cyclone Mekunu heading towards Oman; flight services likely to be disrupted

Cyclone Mekunu has hit the Yemeni island of Socotra. The "very severe" cyclone is on a path to strike Oman this weekend.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said in a bulletin on Thursday that the storm was some 190 km, or 118 miles, east-northeast of Socotra Island.

The storm, described as "very severe," was some 475 kilometers, about 295 miles off the coast of Salalah, one of Oman's biggest cities, the department said.

The Socotra island, listed by UNESCO as a world natural heritage site, has been the focus of a dispute between the United Arab Emirates and Yemen's internationally recognised government amid that country's war.

Meteorologists say the storm is likely to make a landfall near Salalah and neighboring Yemen on Saturday morning.

Flights to be disrupted due to cyclone Mekunu

The "very severe" category cyclone Mekunu may disrupt air services in the Gulf country and flights to Oman and East Africa may be affected.

"Due to the tropical cyclone Mekunu formed in the Arabian Sea, whose landfall is expected to reach Salalah and surrounding areas on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, our flights to and from Salalah, Zanzibar, Nairobi and Dar Es Salaam may be affected," Oman Air said in a statement.

The passengers were advised to keep a track on the timings of their flights as the schedule may change in wake of severe weather conditions.