Severe weather disrupts flight operations at National and Economic capital airports
New Delhi, July 5
Heavy rains, strong gusty winds and reduced visibility wreaked havoc on air traffic at India's major metropolitan airports on Sunday, leading to flight diversions, cancellations, and temporary runway suspensions.
According to Mumbai airport authorities, adverse weather conditions struck at approximately 10:17 hrs, with strong gusty winds reaching up to 42 knots and heavy rain reducing visibility. As a safety precaution, runway operations were temporarily suspended to protect passengers, aircraft, and ground personnel. Normal operations resumed at 11:17 hrs after a 60-minute halt once weather conditions improved. Also, Mumbai Airport sources confirmed that 4 IndiGo flights were cancelled, 13 aircraft of various air operators were diverted, though all diverted aircraft have since landed back safely in Mumbai.
Delhi airport sources reported that a total of 15 flights, 10 domestic and 5 international, were diverted to Jaipur and Lucknow due to the bad weather, heavy rains and strong winds.
Low-cost carrier Akasa Air issued a statement acknowledging the impact that, due to severe weather conditions in Delhi, certain flights across our network have been impacted.
"We realise that this may inconvenience your travel plans and seek your patience and understanding. While this situation is completely beyond our control, please rest assured that our teams are always ready to assist you"
IndiGo released a travel advisory & conveyed to passengers that Bad weather over Delhi and Mumbai has impacted flight schedules. "We are closely monitoring the weather and doing our best to get you where you need to be, safely and smoothly."
Air India also cautioned passengers, stating that Adverse weather conditions may impact flight operations to and from Mumbai and Delhi.
The disruptions come amid the monsoon season when such weather events are common but can significantly affect dense air traffic corridors like the Delhi-Mumbai route. Airport and airline teams are working to minimise passenger inconvenience through rebookings and ground support.
Passengers are advised to check with their respective airlines for the latest flight status and updates before heading to the airport.
— ANI
Reader Comments
"We realise this may inconvenience your travel plans" - yeh standard hai airlines ka. But in all fairness, weather is something nobody can control. My cousin was stuck at Mumbai airport yesterday for 5 hours, at least they provided food and kept updating. Small mercies!
Every year same story with monsoon. Why can't airports have better weather forecasting and backup plans? 😤 We spend so much on infrastructure but still get caught off guard every July. At least this time they resumed operations in just 60 minutes - that's actually decent.
As someone who flies Delhi-Mumbai frequently for work, I've learned to always book morning flights during monsoon. The weather tends to be more stable then. Glad to see airlines handling it well with rebookings though. Safety first, always. 👍
IndiGo and Air India ka advisory dekh kar yaad aaya - we really need a single national app for real-time airport updates across all airlines. It's 2024 and I'm still refreshing 3 different apps to check my flight status. Monsoon season should not mean chaos every time!
It's the monsoon season, this was expected. But diverting 13 planes to Mumbai and 15 from Delhi - at least everyone landed safely. 🙏 Hope airlines and airports keep learning from these events to improve resilience. Passengers just need clear, timely communication more than anything.
S We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.