A severe dust storm disrupted flight operations at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on Friday evening, causing significant delays and cancellations, and leaving thousands of passengers frustrated.
According to airport sources, over 50 domestic flights were delayed, around 25 flights diverted, and seven cancelled from Friday evening until Saturday morning due to the inclement weather. The storm also led to air traffic control congestion, adding to the operational hurdles faced by airlines and airport staff.
Senior officers from the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and airport authorities were seen monitoring the situation and attending to passenger complaints throughout the night.
“After the dust storm, many flights were diverted and cancelled, and this caused inconvenience to passengers waiting for their flights at Delhi airport. The diverted flight took time to reach Delhi, and this led to rush at the airport,” a senior official said.
Despite lower-than-usual passenger loads, crowding at boarding gates worsened the situation as delayed flights began arriving simultaneously, creating a bottleneck at terminals.
Many passengers took to social media to express their frustration over what they described as “chaotic mismanagement” by airlines and ground staff.
Dr HY Desai posted on X:
“The flight AI 2512, which was scheduled at 19.30 hr on 11-04-2025, kept on delaying hour by hour. All passengers were held hostage by Air India the whole night at Delhi Airport without giving any clarity on the delay. They didn’t have the courtesy to serve the basic needs, viz water and food, to the passengers consisting of infants, children, pregnant women, and patients unless agitated. The AI ground staff were cruel in treating the passengers. When the complaint was raised before the CISF, they too were soft and protective with Air India staff by neglecting, ignoring, and harassing the passengers. Don’t know how DGCA gives justice to the passengers of AI 2512, which has not yet been taken off from Delhi airport at 06.53 hrs on 12-04-2025.”
Another stranded passenger, Vipul Singh, shared a video on X showing a packed terminal and wrote:
“Ultra mismanagement and stampede-like situation at Terminal 3, New Delhi Airport due to poor mismanagement by airport management.”
In an official statement, Air India confirmed that 22 of its flights were diverted and five were cancelled due to the dust storm, attributing the chaos to factors beyond its control, including ATC delays and weather disruptions.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is yet to comment on the matter, but pressure is mounting for the regulatory body to initiate a probe into the handling of passengers during the overnight delays.