27 flights diverted as bad weather triggers chaos in Delhi Airport

New Delhi: At least 27 flights scheduled to arrive at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi last evening were diverted to other nearby airports due to the bad weather in the national capital.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's flight was also diverted to Jaipur on Sunday after it could not land in Delhi due to bad weather. Modi was returning from Karnataka after addressing a public meeting in Devangere.

Squalls and dust storms accompanied with heavy rain lashed the national capital Sunday evening.

According to the Met department, rain hit the capital city at around 9 PM. A dust storm blowing at a speed of 92 km per hour hit Palam observatory, while it hit Safdarjung at a speed of 52 km per hour.

The flights were diverted to airports such as Lucknow and Jaipur, among others, airport sources said.

"Some 27 flights have been diverted to other airports due to bad weather," an airport official said. Out of the 27 flights diverted, six were of Air India, the airlines sources said.

On May 23, more than 20 flights to the national capital were diverted and many were delayed due to adverse weather conditions as a dust storm accompanied by light rains had swept Delhi on that day.

The next day airlines had urged the Civil Aviation Ministry to help put in place a mechanism for providing weather updates "well in advance", after more than two dozen flights to Delhi were diverted on Monday due to inclement weather conditions.

Sources said the airlines sought the Ministry's help to have a system at the major airports whereby they can get information about "weather conditions well in advance".

Getting an update at the earliest would help in minimizing disruptions to flight schedules, they added.