New Delhi, April 12 -- A severe dust storm accompanied by gusty winds wreaked havoc at the Indira Gandhi International Airport on Thursday evening, throwing flight schedules into disarray and leaving hundreds of passengers stranded through the night. According to reports, nearly 50 flights were delayed while 25 others had to be diverted due to poor weather conditions in the national capital. The storm caused operational hurdles for airlines and led to a backlog of incoming flights, overwhelming the airport's capacity. "Several flights were either cancelled or rerouted following the storm. This created significant delays and congestion at the airport as diverted aircraft took hours to return, leading to a build-up of stranded passengers," an airport official told. Passengers took to social media to share their frustration, many narrating the ordeal they faced due to lack of clear communication and delays. One traveller, who was on an Air India flight from Srinagar to Mumbai via Delhi, recounted that their aircraft, scheduled to land in Delhi around 6 pm, was diverted to Chandigarh. "We finally reached Delhi at 11 pm, only to be put on a connecting flight at midnight. But after sitting in the plane for nearly four hours, we were asked to disembark and go through security again. It's 8 am now, and our flight still hasn't taken off," the passenger told.
Among those affected was a 75-year-old woman requiring a wheelchair, who had also been on the same flight. "We've been stuck for more than 12 hours. After being diverted, we've been waiting at the Delhi airport since late last night," she said, visibly exhausted. Airlines such as IndiGo and Air India issued advisories on X (formerly Twitter), citing adverse weather conditions. However, for many passengers, the updates were too little, too late. Frustrated fliers flooded social media with complaints. One user, sharing a photograph of people stranded in the terminal, wrote: "The so-called world-class Delhi airport is in complete chaos. This feels worse than a bus stand." The Delhi airport authorities have yet to issue an official statement addressing the concerns of the passengers or explaining the handling of delayed and diverted flights. As weather disruptions become more frequent, travellers are calling for better crisis management systems at major airports to handle emergencies with more transparency and efficiency.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.