Delhi thunderstroms, rains lead to flight delays at IGI airport 

The thunderstorm and rain that lashed Delhi in the early hours of Monday caused delays for travellers flying out of Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI).

Several planes were diverted to adjacent airports, including Jaipur, according to passengers. Hundreds of travellers have been stuck as planes have been postponed to avoid the turbulent Delhi skies.

As per report, more than 100 flights were delayed on Monday morning owing to the heavy rains and thunderstorms in the city.  Nearly 140 flights have been delayed 90 at the departure terminal and 44 at arrivals. Furthermore, airport sources asserted that operations of 20 flights have been impacted by more than an hour.

According to the Delhi Airport website, over 40 departure flights were delayed due to bad weather and other related issues. While 18 arrival flights to Delhi airport are also delayed. Meanwhile, two flights have been cancelled due to the weather conditions

Delhi Airport took to Twitter to share the update. It said, “Due to bad weather, flight operations at @DelhiAirport are affected. Passengers are requested to get in touch with the airline concerned for updated flight information.”

The situation also prompted airlines like Air India to reach out to their passengers through their social media channels and inform them of the same.

Air India tweeted, “…Due to inclement weather in Delhi, flights are getting diverted & delayed. Traffic congestion on roads is also likely. Passengers are requested to keep sufficient time in hand to report for flights.”

SpiceJet also took to Twitter and said, “Due to bad weather in Delhi (DEL), all departures/arrivals and their consequential flights may get affected. Passengers are requested to keep a check on their flight status”

According to IMD, the early morning thunderstorm accompanied by lightning and rains reported over Delhi is the first storm of moderate intensity this season.

“Summer season is considered since March 1. Today, wind gusts maximum reported were upto 70 kmph as per IGI Airport at 7 a.m. The normal occurrence days for thunderstorm at Delhi are around 12 to 14 days from March to May, while this season has been only 4 to 5 so far and these were dry thunder mostly,” said R. Jenamani, a senior IMD meteorologist.

“One of the tremendous impacts of (Monday’s) thunderstorms is drastic fall of surface temperature. From 5.40 a.m. till 7 a.m., it fell by 11 notches, from 29 to 18 degrees Celsius,” Jenamani added.

The IMD had previously forecasted a wet spell for North-West India from May 22 to 24, with a peak on May 23. According to the IMD NowCast, there will be a dust storm/thunderstorm with light rain and gusty winds of 50-80 kmph over and adjacent to the whole NCR.