Delhi NCR Rains Disrupt Flights As Airlines Warn Of Delays
Relentless rain across Delhi-NCR on Monday spilled over into the aviation sector, with airlines issuing travel warnings as poor road conditions, waterlogging, and low visibility disrupted passenger movement. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had placed Delhi, Gurugram, and Faridabad on an orange alert, signalling heavy downpours and traffic disruptions likely to affect flight schedules and airport access.
The city’s largest carrier advised passengers to leave for the airport early, citing widespread waterlogging and road closures. Airline officials said teams were monitoring the situation in real time to provide assistance and minimise passenger inconvenience. Delays and rescheduling, though not unprecedented during the monsoon, have become increasingly frequent due to the combination of erratic rainfall and inadequate stormwater infrastructure.
Air India also issued a cautionary statement, warning that operations at Indira Gandhi International Airport could face delays. The airline urged travellers to reconfirm flight schedules before departure to avoid last-minute disruptions. The advisory comes as Delhi airport handles one of the country’s densest flight networks, where minor delays ripple quickly into large-scale schedule impacts.Adding to the concerns, Akasa Air extended its advisory beyond Delhi, flagging congestion risks in Kolkata and Ahmedabad as well. The airline warned that heavy rainfall across multiple regions was slowing traffic en route to airports, potentially causing missed flights if travellers failed to factor in additional travel time. Aviation experts note that as India’s aviation hubs grow busier, weather-related advisories are likely to become more frequent and more critical for seamless travel.
The cascading impact of the downpour underscores the fragile intersection between urban infrastructure and air travel. Despite Delhi’s status as a global air hub, access roads to the airport remain vulnerable to flooding after prolonged rainfall, leaving thousands of passengers dependent on airlines’ last-minute advisories. Analysts argue that climate change is amplifying these vulnerabilities, with unseasonal and intense rainfall events now more frequent than in the past.In response, urban policy experts are calling for integrated planning that ties sustainable drainage, flood resilience, and transport infrastructure directly into aviation growth strategies. They highlight that the race to expand flight capacity in Indian cities must be matched by investment in climate-resilient systems that can withstand the pressures of extreme weather.
For now, travellers across Delhi-NCR are being urged to keep contingency time while heading to the airport, check live updates from airlines, and prepare for potential delays. While the skies may eventually clear, the city’s waterlogged roads remain a bottleneck, revealing once again that urban sustainability and aviation efficiency are two sides of the
same coin.
