Airport flooded, baggage belts shut down

Heavy rain today flooded the domestic and international arrival halls at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) — recently adjudged the second-best airport in the county.

Heavy rain on Sunday flooded the domestic and international arrival halls at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) — recently adjudged the second-best airport in the county.

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At the domestic arrival hall, three baggage belts had to be closed. Customs officials too had to close down the baggage X-ray machine as water reached inside the green channel area. According to Met officials, rainfall at the airport was three times more than in the city.

Sources confirmed that water had reached up to customs area at the international arrival hall of T3. Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) immediately pressed its staff into clearing the water. Many flights were delayed and a few were diverted due to bad weather.

“How can you call it a world-class airport if rain water has reached the baggage belt? We had to keep our bag over head while coming out of the airport,” said Narendra, a passenger. The escalators were waterlogged at Metro’s airport express line. “At the airport, intense rainfall spell (117.8mm) was reported between 1pm and 5:30 pm,” said airport Met director RK Jenamani. “In view of poor drainage in the surrounding areas and the comparatively low elevation of the airport, heavy rainfall led to water flowing back towards the terminals. Due to adequate capacity of all services, operations remained normal. The local authorities have started augmenting drainage facilities in surrounding areas, which will prevent recurrence of such incidents.