Chaos at Delhi Airport: 68% Flights Delayed Amid Ignored Disruption Warnings from 4 Months Ago

Chaos at Delhi Airport: Flight operations at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport remained hobbled on Sunday, with roughly 68% of all arrivals and departures delayed, as the airport operator said airlines failed to heed warnings about disruptions issued four months ago and neglected to adjust their flight schedules.

The closure of Runway 10/28 for Instrument Landing System (ILS) upgrades—right at the peak of the summer travel season—coupled with an unexpected shift in wind direction, brought the airport’s capacity crashing down.

Despite being notified four months ago, airlines reportedly made “minimal or no changes” to their schedules, worsening the situation for both passengers and airport authorities.

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According to flight-tracking service Flightradar24, as of 11:30 p.m., a total of 501 departing flights and 384 arriving flights were delayed. On an average day, the airport handles around 1,300 flights, which means over two-thirds were affected on Sunday alone. Departure delays averaged around one hour, while arrivals were delayed by approximately 75 minutes.

Airport Authorities Say Airlines Ignored Warnings Given Months in Advance

Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), the company managing the airport, strongly defended its position and said the airlines had been informed well in advance about the planned runway closure and possible operational disruptions. In a statement shared on X (formerly Twitter), DIAL said the closure of Runway 10/28, which began on April 8, was planned in consultation with all relevant stakeholders, including airlines and air traffic control (ATC).

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“The closure of Runway 10/28 since 8th April for essential Instrument Landing System (ILS) upgradation, was planned well in advance in consultation with all relevant stakeholders and based on historical wind patterns over 4 months ago…it was agreed amongst all stakeholders, including Airlines and ATC [air traffic control] that will be temporary capacity constraints for arrivals…,” DIAL stated.

“During such moments the Airlines are to reschedule or cancel flights at short notice in interest of passenger safety and convenience… However, there were minimal to no changes made. Unfortunately this limited action/non action has led to significant operational challenges for all the stakeholders including Delhi airport and ATC and in the end impacted the passengers significantly,” the statement added.

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