11 Delhi-bound flights diverted as water reaches IGI Terminal 3

Passengers wheeled luggage through ankle-deep water near Terminal 3’s arrival gates at Indira Gandhi International Airport after heavy rain swept across Delhi.

A squall with winds touching 76 kmph hit the airport, and 11 flights bound for Delhi were diverted to Jaipur, Lucknow, Chandigarh and Ahmedabad between 3.30pm and 5pm. Flight-tracking data showed more than 550 flight delays at IGI during the day.

The India Meteorological Department recorded 75.6 mm of rain at the airport between 8.30am and 5.30pm. The airport said rainwater collected on the approach road and forecourt and was later cleared.

An airport official said a drain in Sector 8, Dwarka, meant to carry rainwater from the airport area into city trunk drains, is not fully complete. A DDA official said the airport-to-trunk-drain link has operated for two years, with only a limited stretch near the SPG area and Trunk Drain-2 under construction.

Travellers can check their airline’s flight-status update before leaving for the airport.