Unexpected rain grounds flights
Almost all arrivals, departure at the airport between 3pm and 5pm were delayed by at least an hour.
Bad weather coupled with air traffic congestion at Indira Gandhi International Airport resulted in large number of flight delays on Wednesday. Almost all flights that landed at IGIA between 3pm and 5pm were delayed by at least an hour. Departures, too, got delayed during that period.
Though the airport only recorded a trace of rainfall, high wind speed that accompanied it affected flight movement at the airport. Some flights, such as Jet Airways' Guwahati-Delhi flight (9W 2280) was delayed by more than three hours.
In the past one week, the airport has reported several weather-related delays. On Saturday, heavy rain, high-speed wind and squall resulted diversion of 12 flights and as many as 50 flight were delayed.
"This kind of weather is caused by the easterlies and might continue for some time," said RK Jenamani, director of IGIA Met department. "The airport has seen disruptions and flight diversions in the last few days because the clouds are in a low position."
On Wednesday morning, low-visibility procedures had to be implemented at the airport as the visibility dipped below 700m.
Airlines, however, said the delays were more due to air traffic congestion than the weather. "There was rain on Wednesday and visibility had dipped, but congestion in the evening has become a daily affair at IGIA," said a senior official of a full-cost airline, who did not wish to be named as he is not authorised to talk to the media.
According to the Met department, visibility on Thursday is likely to dip below 400m in fog at 5.30am, but will improve to 1,200m in mist after 10.30am.