Over 300 flights delayed at Delhi airport due to heavy rains

Over 300 flights at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport faced delays on Saturday due to heavy rains and thunderstorms. The India Meteorological Department issued alerts, and airlines including IndiGo and Air India warned passengers of potential disruptions amid adverse weather conditions

New Delhi: More than 300 flights were delayed at the Delhi airport on Saturday due to adverse weather conditions. An official said there were no flight diversions at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) in the national capital, which witnessed heavy rains.

IGIA is the country’s largest airport, handling around 1,300 flight movements daily. Over 300 flights were delayed at the airport and some were cancelled. The average delay in flight departures was around 17 minutes, according to data available on flight tracking website Flightradar24.com.

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In a post on X in the morning, IndiGo said there was heavy downpour over Delhi, causing some temporary disruption to flight schedules. “If you’re travelling today, please be aware of potential delays and allow additional time for your journey, especially with traffic moving slower than usual.

“We’re monitoring the situation closely and will get you airborne as soon as possible,” it said. Air India, in a post in the morning, said rain may impact flight operations to and from Delhi on Saturday.

Early on Saturday morning, the India Meteorological Department issued a red alert for heavy rain with lightning and thunderstorms for parts of north, west, south, southeast, and Central Delhi, but later downgraded to a yellow alert, advising people to be aware.

In the 24 hours till 8.30 am on Saturday, Delhi’s primary weather station at Safdarjung recorded 78.7 mm of rainfall, Pragati Maidan 100 mm, Lodhi Road 80 mm, Pusa 69 mm, and Palam 31.8 mm, according to data shared by the weather department.