<p>The Air Traffic Control at Madhurapudi airport did not give ground clearance for the aircraft from Hyderabad to land at the scheduled time 10.30 AM as there was "no clear visibility"<br />This forced the ATR aircraft to hover in the skies for about 45 minutes before the ATC finally gave the clearance for landing, official sources said.<br /><br />The Chief Minister was to arrive in Rajahmundry by flight and fly by helicopter to neighbouring West Godavari district for a day-long tour today.<br /><br />"There was no rain or strong wind. The sky was also not cloudy but there was no sunshine. Hence, the ATC did not give the ground clearance for the aircraft's landing," state Minister for Stamps and Registration Thota Narasimham told PTI over phone from Rajahmundry.<br />The flight finally touched ground at 11.15 AM.<br /><br />"Yes, there was some anxiety as the flight hovered in the air for a while," Kiran Kumar remarked on checking into the VIP lounge at the airport.<br /><br />He later took the aerial route in the state helicopter from Rajahmundry to Poolla in West Godavari district where he is scheduled to launch 'Stree Nidhi', a state-level co-operative credit society for financing women self-help groups.</p>
<p>The Air Traffic Control at Madhurapudi airport did not give ground clearance for the aircraft from Hyderabad to land at the scheduled time 10.30 AM as there was "no clear visibility"<br />This forced the ATR aircraft to hover in the skies for about 45 minutes before the ATC finally gave the clearance for landing, official sources said.<br /><br />The Chief Minister was to arrive in Rajahmundry by flight and fly by helicopter to neighbouring West Godavari district for a day-long tour today.<br /><br />"There was no rain or strong wind. The sky was also not cloudy but there was no sunshine. Hence, the ATC did not give the ground clearance for the aircraft's landing," state Minister for Stamps and Registration Thota Narasimham told PTI over phone from Rajahmundry.<br />The flight finally touched ground at 11.15 AM.<br /><br />"Yes, there was some anxiety as the flight hovered in the air for a while," Kiran Kumar remarked on checking into the VIP lounge at the airport.<br /><br />He later took the aerial route in the state helicopter from Rajahmundry to Poolla in West Godavari district where he is scheduled to launch 'Stree Nidhi', a state-level co-operative credit society for financing women self-help groups.</p>