A sudden spell of adverse weather across North India on Monday triggered widespread disruption in flight operations, severely impacting services in Lucknow and Delhi. What began as poor visibility and gusty winds in Delhi quickly escalated into a regional aviation disruption, forcing diversions, delays and cancellations. Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport, Lucknow, became a critical diversion hub, according to a spokesperson for the Lucknow airport.
In all, around 20 flights were delayed during the day, while 15 flights—including three international services—were diverted to Lucknow. Two IndiGo flights on the Abu Dhabi sector were cancelled, disrupting international passenger movement. The cascading impact was triggered by unsafe landing conditions in Delhi, where low visibility and strong winds forced air traffic restrictions.
As Delhi airport struggled to handle incoming traffic, flights from multiple domestic routes including Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Guwahati, Coimbatore, Aurangabad and Nashik were rerouted to Lucknow.
International services from Singapore, Muscat, Phuket and Kathmandu were also diverted. Among them was an Air India Kathmandu–Delhi flight (AI-212), which landed in Lucknow with 168 passengers and eight crew members onboard. Passenger loads across diverted aircraft ranged from 80 to 230, with an estimated 2,500 to 3,500 passengers handled during the diversion phase alone, pushing airport infrastructure beyond normal capacity for several hours overnight.
Incoming flights were equally hit. An IndiGo flight from Chandigarh to Lucknow was delayed by more than two hours, while several Delhi–Lucknow services operated by IndiGo and Air India Express ran one to two hours behind schedule. An international arrival from Dubai to Lucknow was also delayed by over two hours, further adding to congestion at the airport.
Flight carrying UP deputy CMs rerouted
An IndiGo flight coming from Delhi to Lucknow carrying UP deputy chief ministers Brajesh Pathak and Keshav Prasad Maurya was diverted to Bhopal on Monday morning after repeated failed landing attempts in Lucknow due to bad weather conditions.
The flight encountered heavy turbulence and poor visibility as a sudden storm hit the state capital. The aircraft reportedly made three attempts to land at Lucknow airport but had to abort each time due to strong winds and intense rain. The flight landed in Bhopal at 10:30 am and later reached Lucknow at 12:45 pm.
