FLIGHTS DIVERTED, WATER COLLECTS AT BAGGAGE COUNTERS
NEW DELHI: The intense rain on Saturday left Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport in complete disarray, flooding the arrival area in Terminal 3 as well as the apron (where aircraft are parked), even as over 100 flights were delayed and five diverted.
Videos from the airport recorded by fliers did the rounds on social media throughout the day, as officials said rainwater leaked into Terminal 3 from at least four spots on the roof.
NEW DELHI: The intense rain on Saturday left Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport in complete disarray, flooding the arrival area in Terminal 3 as well as the apron (where aircraft are parked), even as over 100 flights were delayed and five diverted.
Videos from the airport recorded by fliers did the rounds on social media throughout the day, as officials said rainwater leaked into Terminal 3 from at least four spots on the roof.
Officials of the Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) — the airport operator — attributed the waterlogging inside the terminal to “a steep gradient” between Terminal 3 and National Highway 48 adjoining it.
Jai, a flyer at the airport who goes by a single name, said his morning flight to Mumbai was delayed by two hours due to the weather.
“I booked an early morning flight so that I could attend a meeting in the afternoon, but the delay disrupted my day completely,” he said.
Of the five flights that were diverted, four were landed in Jaipur and the other landed in Ahmedabad, said airport officials.
Three Indigo flights —to Lucknow, Indore and Hyderabad — were also cancelled.
A DIAL spokesperson said, “Delhi has been witnessing record-breaking rain since last evening. This morning [Saturday], due to sudden extremely intense downpour, the forecourt of Terminal 3 of Delhi Airport saw some waterlogging, which was cleared within a few minutes.”
“Due to a steep gradient, the entire area between NH-48 and Terminal 3 acts as a catchment and drains water towards the terminal. This water is eventually carried by the city’s underground drainage system from Terminal 3 to Najafgarh drain,” said the official.
Spokespersons, however, maintained that no passengers missed their flight due to the waterlogged forecourt.