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A storm of delays hit Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on Monday, grounding 462 outbound flights and throwing passenger plans into disarray. That’s nearly 70% of all scheduled departures. To make matters worse, half of the arriving flights also ran late. The double whammy? Unseasonal easterly winds and an ill-timed runway repair project. Passengers waited, airlines juggled schedules, and social media lit up with complaints. Despite three advisories and several reroutes, fliers were left circling more on ground than in air. The chaos came just a week after officials had warned of potential disruptions.
Passenger Advisory issued at 12:25 Hrs#DelhiAirport #PassengerAdvisory pic.twitter.com/5utx9vRnW5
— Delhi Airport (@DelhiAirport) April 28, 2025
The Wind Blows — And So Do The Schedules On Delhi Airport
Delhi airport tried to warn passengers in advance. “Due to shifting wind patterns in the vicinity of airport, certain airline operations may experience delays,” IGI Airport posted on X on Monday.
A heads-up came on April 25 too: “As per the forecast from India Meteorological Department, easterly winds are expected between 26th April and 4th May 2025.” Unlike westerly winds, which allow 46 landings per hour, easterlies limit arrivals to just 32. That’s a serious drop in runway rhythm.
Repair Plans Backfire At The IGI Airport
Authorities had pinned their hopes on May 15 for the arrival of easterlies, planning a timely upgrade of Runway 10/28. But the winds had other plans — showing up two weeks early. The runway work, aimed at improving low-visibility ops, hit turbulence.
Public anger mounted. After criticism surged — including a jab from J&K CM Omar Abdullah — the airport fast-tracked reopening to May and pushed the upgrade to June.
ATC Steps In To Save The Day (Sort Of)
To manage the mess, Air Traffic Control enforced flow restrictions between 10:30 am–6:30 pm and 10:30 pm–2:30 am. “These measures ensure safe operations… keeping passenger safety as the highest priority,” the airport said.
