Nine flights were diverted from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on Friday afternoon as heavy rain flooded parts of the airport complex and a squall brought winds of up to 76 kmph.
The flights were diverted between 3.30 pm and 4.30 pm, with four sent to Jaipur, four to Lucknow and one to Ahmedabad, sources said.
The four flights diverted to Lucknow were Akasa Air’s Bengaluru-Delhi service and three Air India flights arriving from Ludhiana, Indore and Hyderabad.
Heavy rain also caused water accumulation on the airport’s approach road and in its forecourt.
Delhi Airport said the accumulated water was cleared shortly afterwards and shared a video of the area, adding that efforts were underway to ensure safe and smooth operations.
"We remain committed to ensuring a safe and seamless experience for all passengers," the Delhi Airport said on X.
The India Meteorological Department recorded a squall at Palam Airport between 3.37 pm and 3.39 pm.
A squall is a sudden, sharp increase in wind speed that lasts longer than an ordinary gust. It is often associated with thunderstorms and can cause rapidly changing conditions during aircraft take-off and landing.
Winds reached 76 kmph during the two-minute event, while visibility fell to 600 metres.
Humidity rose from 86 per cent to 90 per cent, while the temperature dropped from 26 degrees Celsius to 25.5 degrees Celsius. Palam received 7 mm of rain during the squall.
Palam recorded 72.2 mm of rainfall between 2.30 pm and 5.30 pm, the highest in Delhi during the three-hour period, according to the Regional Meteorological Centre.
The 7 mm measured during the squall formed part of this larger rainfall total.
Naraina received 54 mm of rain, followed by Janakpuri at 48.5 mm, Lodhi Road at 34.6 mm and Safdarjung at 32.6 mm.
Pusa recorded 29 mm, Jharoda Kalan 25 mm, the Ridge 20 mm, Chhatarpur 15 mm and Ayanagar 12 mm.
Heavy rain caused waterlogging in several parts of west Delhi, including Gandhi Market in Sagarpur and residential colonies. No major traffic jams or waterlogging on arterial roads had been reported at the time.
The IMD issued a red warning for heavy rainfall in parts of Delhi-NCR on Friday, with thunderstorms and lightning also forecast.
The unsettled weather is expected to continue on Saturday, with heavy rain likely over the Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi region.
West Uttar Pradesh, including parts of the National Capital Region, is also under a heavy-rain warning for Friday and Saturday.
The intensity is expected to ease from Sunday. While light rain or drizzle may continue, the IMD has not issued a heavy-rain warning for Delhi from September 6 onwards.
Source: India Today