Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s social media post slamming Delhi airport after his flight from Jammu to Delhi faced a delay has come at the end of a chaotic week at the busiest airport of the country. Passengers have been at the receiving end of significant delays and diversions at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport for a number of reasons ranging from repair works to unfavourable weather conditions.
First, one out of the four runways at the Delhi airport has been shut down since April 9 for some upgrade work. This has led to a decrease in the number of flights that can land at the airport. “Delhi Airport is currently undergoing essential runway upgrades…We are working closely with all stakeholders to minimize any potential impact on flight operations,” the Delhi airport operator Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) posted on X on April 9.
Runway upgrade
Currently, only two of the runways can operate in low visibility conditions from both ends. Runway 10/28, which was slated to be upgraded over the coming months, can handle low visibility operations from just one of its ends.
After the upgrade, the airport will have three runways capable of low-visibility operations, equipping it to manage operations in low-visibility situations better. Being in North India, the Delhi airport is prone to dense fog during winter, which can lead to major disruptions at the country’s largest airport.
“The plan to shut down the runway was taken in consultation with all stakeholders. All airlines were told to reduce flights,” an airport source said. According to a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) issued by the Airport Authority of India (AAI), only 42 flights will be able to arrive during westerly winds and 32 during easterly winds from April 11 to July 21.
A source aware of the development confirmed to The Indian Express that the runway will reopen sooner than expected. Earlier, operations on the runway were slated to commence in June after upgrade works were completed.
Closure of Terminal 2
Secondly, all operations of Terminal 2 of the Delhi airport were shifted to the recently renovated Terminal 1 on April 15. On the first day of the relocation of flights to Terminal 1, passengers faced additional inconvenience due to a technical glitch in the baggage check-in.
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The IGI Airport has three terminals: Terminal 1, Terminal 2, and Terminal 3. Terminal 2 has been temporarily shut down till September to refurbish it to increase its passenger handling capacity. All of Terminal 2’s approximately 270 flights and 50,000 passengers will be utilising Terminal 1.
IndiGo and Akasa Air, the two airlines operating out of T2, had notified passengers about the reassignment of flights via email, WhatsApp, and their websites. Akasa Air urged the flyers to reach the airport on time. Indigo stated that schedule changes were likely.
On the same day that the shift to Terminal 1 occurred, a technical glitch at the baggage check-in inconvenienced passengers. Passengers faced delays in check-in, flight departures and baggage delivery. Amid a barrage of complaints, Indigo had informed flyers that due to a temporary baggage belt failure, baggage delivery across the network was delayed and assured flyers that they would be “reunited” with their baggage that would be sent by “the earliest available flight”.
Earlier in January, DIAL had underlined in an official statement that “the temporary closure of Terminal 2 is expected to cause minimal disruption to operations, as the newly developed Terminal 1 will absorb the additional load, ensuring continued service to passengers,”. However, almost half of the flights at the airport were delayed on April 15, according to Flightradar24, a flight tracking website.
Weather conditions
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Lastly, unfavourable weather conditions contributed to the existing delays at the airport. Last Friday, heavy thunderstorms and strong winds caused significant disruptions, which had a cascading effect across northern India that continued into the following day.
Shifting wind patterns over the last 5 days have also caused delays. “The easterly winds, which usually start after May 15, have started right from April this time around,” a source said. This change and the reduction of one runway have resulted in disruptions to flight operations.
“Due to shifting wind patterns in the vicinity of the airport, Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) measures for flight arrivals have been implemented from 1230 IST till 1630 IST today…All other airport operations and 3 runways at Delhi Airport continue to function as scheduled. However, certain flight arrivals may experience delays or adjustments,” a social media post by DIAL said on April 17.
DIAL has been making these posts for the last five days.