Night of the bizarre at Delhi airport

A power breakdown delayed flights by hours. And a glitch in the power backup — somehow — got aerobridges, elevators, escalators and conveyor belts going in the opposite direction.

It was a night of chaos and the bizarre at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on Thursday.

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A power breakdown delayed flights by hours. And a glitch in the power backup — somehow — got aerobridges, elevators, escalators and conveyor belts going in the opposite direction.

“It seemed all the electrical systems acquired a mind of their own,” said an official with an international carrier who did not want to be named. “People got stuck in elevators which started moving in the wrong direction.”

He said conveyor belts started moving backwards and then “stopped abruptly”.

An American Airlines aircraft was damaged after the aerobridge moved upwards instead of going down. The flight to Chicago was cancelled because of the damage.

An airline statement said the aerobridge rose and struck a door due to the power breakdown.

The airlines booked 25 passengers on another flight and accommodated 125 others at hotels.