Delhi Airport Grapples with Flight Disruptions As Heavy Rains And Strong Winds Batter The City

Light rain and brisk winds brought slight relief to various regions of Delhi as the capital's air quality teetered closer to the 'severe' category on Monday morning.

Thunderstorms accompanied by light to moderate rain and brisk winds, ranging from 30-50 Km/h, are forecasted over several areas of Delhi such as Mundaka, Jafarpur, Nazafgarh, Dwarka, India Gate, Palam, Lodi Road, IGI Airport, Vasant Vihar, RK Puram, Defence Colony, Lajpat Nagar, Vasant Kunj, Hauz Khas, Malviya Nagar, Kalkaji, Mahrauli, Tughlakabad, Chhattarpur, IGNOU, Ayanagar, and Deramandi. Similar weather conditions are expected in NCR areas like Bahadurgarh, Noida, Gurugram, Faridabad, Manesar, Ballabhgarh, as well as in Rohtak, Charkhi Dadri, Mattanhail, Jhajjar, Farukhnagar, and Kosali in Haryana, according to RWFC New Delhi (IMD).

#WATCH | Delhi: Light rain lashes several parts of the national capital; visuals from Chirag Dilli. pic.twitter.com/GdIbwCUoq0

— ANI (@ANI) November 27, 2023

Over the next two hours, light to moderate rain, coupled with gusty winds blowing at speeds between 30-40 Km/h, is expected in Delhi (areas unspecified), Karnal, Rajaund, Assandh, Safidon, Jind, Panipat, Gohana, Gannaur, Meham, Sonipat, Kharkhoda, and Bhiwani in Haryana, as per RWFC New Delhi (IMD).

Meanwhile, at least 16 flights were diverted from Delhi to Jaipur, Lucknow, Amritsar, and Ahmedabad after operations at the capital's airport were impacted because of heavy rain and lightning, an official of Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport said.

Ten flights were redirected to Jaipur, three to Lucknow, two to Amritsar, and one to Ahmedabad among the total of 16 flights that were diverted.

According to a report by news agency ANI, the Vistara flight UK742 traveling from Guwahati to Delhi had to be diverted to Jaipur owing to adverse weather conditions and air traffic congestion at the Indira Gandhi International airport.