At least 160 flights cancelled at Delhi airport on Sept 8-10 in light of G20 Summit

Around 160 domestic flights to and from Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport have been cancelled due to traffic restrictions related to the G20 Summit.

At least 160 domestic flights to and from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport have been cancelled between September 8 and 10 owing to traffic restrictions in the Capital due to the upcoming G20 Summit, the airport operator said on Saturday.

Airport authorities said that they received request from various airlines for cancellation of 80 departing and 80 arriving domestic flights during the three days of G20 Summit.(Reuters)

Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), which operates IGI Airport, said that it received requests from various airlines for cancellation of 80 departing and 80 arriving domestic flights during the three days in this connection.

It, however, clarified that the cancellation is not due to paucity of parking space for aircraft.

There will be no impact on international flights, it added.

“We take immense pride in India’s role as the host of the G20 Summit 2023. Current news on cancellations of flight has no linkage to parking of aircraft. We have already provided the required parking. Decision on cancellations of flights have been taken by airlines possibly in light of traffic restrictions due to G20 summit. While we recognise that approximately 80 arrivals and 80 departures may be affected due to these cancellations, we are committed to working closely with airlines to minimize any inconvenience caused to passengers,” said a statement from DIAL, adding that the cancelled flights account to only 6% of the normal domestic operations at the airport.

Officials aware of the matter said that there is sufficient parking space at the airport and arrangements for the parking of aircraft of foreign delegations were already scheduled before the cancellation requests.

However, in view of the traffic restrictions across Delhi-NCR during the Summit days, it is likely that people will face inconvenience in reaching to and from the airport to their destination, the officials added.

“The restrictions will not cause any impact on international flights,” added the statement.

Officials also advised that travellers should check flight availability and the status of their flights during the Summit days before planning any travel.