New Delhi: Supriya Sule, the leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar), criticized the ongoing flight delays at Delhi Airport, claiming that her Air India flight was delayed for over an hour late at night, leaving passengers stranded and “visibly distressed.” She also called for the intervention of Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu, saying that delays are “becoming a troubling norm.”
Sule vented her annoyance over the delay on the social networking site X. Her flight was supposed to depart at 10:30 PM on Friday, May 2, but it was delayed by almost an hour, arriving at 11:45 PM.
“Air India is causing yet another delay at Delhi Airport. Air India rescheduled the 10:30 PM flight to 11:30 PM and then again to 11:45 PM. The passengers are obviously upset and trapped. This isn’t a single incident; rather, it’s starting to happen often. Sule wrote, “I implore the Hon’ble Civil Aviation Minister to step in immediately.”
Air India responded by stating that bad weather in the nation’s capital had impacted a number of flights, which had a ripple effect on flight schedules across its network.
“Dear Ms. Sule, bad weather earlier today in Delhi caused many flights to delay, which had a ripple effect on our network’s schedule.” Your flight is about to take off. In response, the airline stated, “Thank you for your understanding and patience.”
Rainfall in Delhi reached 78 mm until 8:30 am on Friday, the second-highest 24-hour total since 1901. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reports that the highest rainfall was 119.3 mm on May 20, 2021.
Lodhi Road had the most rainfall, measuring -78 mm, barely ahead of Safdarjung Airport, which received 77 mm.
According to IMD, heavy rainfall happened because of a consistent and very favorable weather pattern in the lower and middle parts of the atmosphere, along with moisture and wind coming together from the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal in the area.
On May 20, 2021, SFD Airport received 119.3 mm of rain, the most since 1901. It was linked to the movement of the remnant of the “Tauktae” Cyclone, which swept over the Gujarat coast, according to IMD.
