Bengaluru Weather: Heavy Rains Wreak Havoc At Kempegowda Airport, Flight Operations Disrupted

Heavy overnight rain caused significant disruptions to flight operations at Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport, officials announced on Friday. Due to heavy rainfall and strong winds rendering the airport unsuitable for landing between 9.35 p.m. and 10.29 p.m., several flights, including international passenger and cargo flights, were diverted. A

total of thirteen domestic flights, three international passenger flights, and one international cargo flight were redirected to Chennai, according to a spokesperson from the Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL).

Among the domestic flights diverted to Chennai were four from Indigo, four from Air India Express, one from Vistara, one from Akasa Air, one from Air India, and one from Star Air. Additionally, three international flights - one Singapore Airlines flight from Singapore, one Etihad flight from Abu Dhabi, and one KLM flight from Amsterdam - were diverted, along with a DHL Aviation cargo flight ES 731.

This incident follows a similar event on May 6 when eight flights were diverted, seven to Chennai and one to Coimbatore, due to heavy rains.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), between 8.30 a.m. on May 9 and 8.30 a.m. on May 10, Kempegowda International Airport recorded 72.4 mm of rainfall, Bengaluru City Station recorded 14. mm, and the HAL Airport recorded 6.7 mm.