Flight Delays and Diversions at Delhi Airport: Here's What’s Behind the Ongoing Disruptions:

Thousands of travelers have been impacted due to cascading delays and diversions at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI). As per Flightrader24's report, over 68% of flights were delayed on a Sunday, which led to mounting frustration amongst travelers including some VIPs.

Political voyager Omar Abdullah was not one bit pleased when his flight was diverted to Jaipur, as he expressed his anger on social media platform X. His complaint noted the lengthy standstill accompanied with no updates about next steps for the entire process.

Delhi airport is a bloody shit show (excuse my French but I’m in no mood to be polite). 3 hours in the air after we left Jammu we get diverted to Jaipur & so here I am at 1 in the morning on the steps of the plane getting some fresh air. I’ve no idea what time we will leave from… pic.twitter.com/RZ9ON2wV8E
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) April 19, 2025

What Led to Holding Up Operations at IGI Airport:

1. Upgrade Work On Runway 28/10

A more prominent factor to delays today is the suspension of operation on 10/28 runway due to upgrading work. At the moment there is support for low visibility operations at IGI from both ends for only 2 runways. 10/28 has the capability only on one end.

Upon upgrade completion, 3 out of 6 available runaways will permit low visibility operations crucial to alleviating severe winter fog experienced in the Delhi region.

Airport authorities has informed all the stakeholders had discussions before making the decision to close the runway. They further added that all airlines were advised in advance to limit the number of flights scheduled for this period.

2. Seasonal Renovations At T2

All operations at Terminal 2 have been relocated to T1 thus leading to the temporary closure of terminal 2 for refurbishment. This alters the operations of nearly 270 flights and about 50 thousand passengers everyday.

A technical glitch at Terminal 1’s baggage check-in counter on the day of the transit also caused check-in delays, disrupted departures, and various problems in baggage handling. This has compounded the issue even further.

An increase in passenger capavility is planned at the reopening of Terminal 2, which is estimated to remain closed till September.

3. Severe Weather Limitations

Severe delays have been worsened by unfavorable conditions like: thunderstorms and winds changing direction. This year we have had earlier than expected easterly winds, which usually come in mid-May.

According to DIAL, Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) was implemented from 12:30 IST to 16:30 IST to control the flight arrivals during the wiind shift period. Maintaining safety often requires flight modifications and delays, even with three operational runways in use.