: Even as Delhi heaved a sigh of relief as showers following a dust storm brought reprieve from the scorching heat, the weather resulted in the Indira Gandhi International Airport here plunging into utter chaos.
More than 200 flights were delayed on Monday. While 14 flights had to be diverted during the afternoon when the dust storm hit the airport, eight more flights were diverted by 9.30 p.m. The flights were mostly diverted to nearby Jaipur and Lucknow, while some were diverted to Amritsar and Ahmedabad.
The dust storm accompanied with strong winds made landing a difficult proposition. “The dust storm continued between 3.15 p.m. and 3.45 p.m., when we witnessed a wind speed of 60-70 kmph. While the visibility at the airport was around 4 km, it dropped to 600 metres after the dust storm,” said Dr. R.K. Jenamani, Director-in-Charge, IGIA MeT unit.
Even though the dust storm subsided by 4 p.m., the wind speed remained around 40-50 kmph, hampering smooth flight movement.
“We are still witnessing very strong and dusty winds at the airport,” Dr. Jenamani said at 9.30 pm.
The delayed flights led to massive crowding at the airport terminals as passengers kept pouring in to catch their flights. Delays ranged from one hour to even six hours.
While the spacious Terminal 3 was not much affected, domestic Terminal 1D, which handles all budget carriers, was teeming with passengers.
“There is absolute mayhem at the airport and forget seats, even finding a comfortable place to stand at the terminal is getting difficult,” said a passenger.
The ongoing construction work for a Delhi Metro tunnel outside the domestic terminal also lead to traffic chaos.
