NEW DELHI: Thunderstorms and rain, along with gusty winds, affected flight operations at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport on Monday.
All departures and arrivals and their consequential flights have been affected due to inclement weather. Airlines have also requested passengers to check on their flight status before heading to the airport as the flight operations have been kept on hold.
Hundreds of passengers have been stranded since early morning as flights departing from the airport are being rescheduled. Several passengers at the airport posted pictures of being stranded on the runway and waiting for take-off due to weather conditions.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said thundershower with moderate rainfall will continue over Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) for the “next two hours”. “Dust storm/thunderstorm with light to moderate intensity rain and gusty winds with a speed of 50-80 kmph is very likely to continue over Delhi-NCR and adjoining areas during the next two hours,” IMD tweeted.
Raktim Roy, who posted a picture of the airport from inside his flight stranded on the runway,” Waiting for the flight to take off since ages, but the intense Delhi weather is creating havoc. Wide angle view of the airport from my phone,” he tweeted.
The number of affected flights was likely to rise throughout the day as the thunderstorms continue.
Another passenger, Vikas Wadhawan complained of no information on the delayed flight and tweeted a picture of the airport area informing the pathetic condition of Delhi Airport Terminal 3.
“No information of flight status on screens and gates are packed with people due to this ambiguity. Provide updated information so that people can relax in the lounge,” Wadhawan urged the airlines to provide advance information of flights to the passengers.
The airport authorities have requested the passengers to contact the airline concerned for updated flight information. “Due to bad weather, flight operations at Delhi airport are affected. Passengers are requested to get in touch with the airline concerned for updated flight information,” Delhi Airport tweeted.
In a reply to the Delhi airport message, Vikas Wadhawan tweeted, “For your information, this link is not showing updated information of flights and their status. Airlines also have no clue. I can understand that you guys have no control over the weather, but you can definitely provide information to passengers so that they are not standing in front of gates.”
Another passenger, Rajhans Sharma, who was stuck at Delhi airport, tweeted, “My mother is being cremated and I am traveling to see her. My flight is diverted from Delhi and is currently in Jaipur. I seek your help to get down at Jaipur airport, else I will not be able to see my mother for the last time”.
Air India said that all departures and arrivals and their consequential flights are affected. “We’ll share an update soon. You may get in touch with our crew team for any assistance,” it said. “Due to inclement weather in Delhi, flights are getting diverted and delayed. Traffic congestion on roads is also likely. Passengers are requested to keep sufficient time in hand to report for flights,” Air India said in a tweet.
Meanwhile, giving respite from the scorching Sun, thunderstorms and rain brought down the temperature drastically in Delhi-NCR on Monday morning. Rain, accompanied by strong winds, lashed Delhi-NCR on Monday morning, leading to a sharp drastic fall in surface temperature. The strong winds uprooted trees in several parts of the city. (ANI)