Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL) has said that many flights arriving at Velana International Airport (VIA) have been delayed due to bad weather.

When contacted, Shaman Shakir, Manager of Corporate Communications at MACL, told One today that flights are getting delayed due to low visibility due to bad weather and heavy rains. Eight flights have been delayed so far and three flights have been cancelled, he said.

"Some flights are being diverted because the weather is bad and visibility is low. Flights operated between 10 am and 12 noon when the rain subsided," Shamman said.

He added that arrangements are being made for those stranded at the airport due to delay in some of the flights scheduled to depart today, adding that some tourists who arrived in the Maldives were unable to reach the destination they had come to and were stranded at the airport.

An official of the Met office told One today that the current spell of rainfall in the Maldives usually occurs every year during the end of the southwest monsoon and the onset of the southwest monsoon.

The rainfall is expected to continue for the next three days and the weather is expected to light up this weekend, he said.