Flight operations at Swami Vivekananda Airport in Raipur were thrown off schedule on Wednesday evening after a lightning strike damaged a key navigation system, forcing multiple aircraft to divert to nearby airports. Officials confirmed that repair teams were deployed immediately and that services are expected to return to normal soon.
The disruption occurred when the airport’s Doppler VHF Omnidirectional Range (DVOR) system, a ground-based radio navigation aid crucial for flight positioning and alignment during landings, was directly struck by lightning. With the equipment rendered inoperative, flight landings had to be suspended, and at least five aircraft were diverted to alternative hubs, including Nagpur and Bhubaneswar. Airport authorities described the incident as a rare but serious weather-related hazard. “The safety of passengers and aircraft is our foremost priority, and suspending landings was a necessary precaution. Repairs are underway, and operations should resume shortly,” said an official.
The DVOR system plays a vital role in modern aviation, particularly in ensuring accuracy and reliability during approach and landing phases. Without it, flights are unable to safely navigate towards the runway, making temporary diversions unavoidable. Aviation experts note that such incidents, though uncommon, highlight the vulnerability of critical airport infrastructure to extreme weather events. The grounding of flights caused delays and inconvenience for passengers, but authorities maintained that all diversions were handled smoothly. IndiGo, the airline most affected by the disruption, confirmed that aircraft were redirected to minimise passenger risk.
Officials further pointed out that climate variability has increased the frequency of intense lightning strikes across India, and infrastructure such as airports remain particularly exposed. In the case of Raipur, located in central India’s Chhattisgarh state, thunderstorms are common during seasonal transitions, raising the need for reinforced weatherproofing of sensitive aviation systems. The incident also reignites the conversation around climate resilience in India’s aviation sector. While airports are mandated to install lightning arresters and backup systems, damage to high-frequency navigational equipment remains difficult to avoid. Industry observers argue that future-proofing airports will require not just repairs after incidents but investment in more resilient, redundant systems.
For now, passengers flying in and out of Raipur are advised to check schedules and updates with airlines. As per officials, normal services are expected to resume by Thursday after safety checks and restoration of the DVOR system are completed. The Raipur airport disruption underscores the growing link between extreme weather events and operational risks to transport infrastructure. For a country witnessing rapid expansion of air travel, experts stress that ensuring climate-resilient aviation infrastructure is not just an environmental goal but an operational necessity.
Also Read : Patna To Gain Road And Rail Projects Worth Rs 7616 Crore Approved
