Flight operations at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) came to a near standstill as more than two-thirds of all scheduled flights experienced delays. Passengers were left stranded, frustrated, and furious and some of them were even stuck on planes that got diverted mid-air.
The core of the chaos was a result of the closure of the runway for critical upgrades that were planned months in advance to improve the airport’s fog-handling capabilities by winter. The disruption was already anticipated due to reduced runway availability, but the chaos increased by an unexpected shift in wind direction, which drastically impacted runway usage and slashed hourly flight handling capacity.
When did this take place and what led to the chaos?
On Sunday, April 20, passengers at Delhi Airport faced a travel nightmare. According to data from Flightradar24, 501 departures and 384 arrivals were delayed, which made up over 68% of the total 1,300 flights the airport handles daily. Departure delays averaged one hour, while arrival delays stretched to 75 minutes. This wasn't a sudden crisis, but it was anticipated months ago!
The chaos resulted from the closure of Runway 10/28 on April 8 for upgrades to its Instrument Landing System (ILS) to CAT III B standards to prepare the airport for foggy winter conditions, but just as summer traffic ramps up, this timing turned out to be problematic.
“The closure of Runway 10/28 since 8th April for essential Instrument Landing System (ILS) upgradation, was planned well in advance… it was agreed amongst all stakeholders… that there will be temporary capacity constraints for arrivals,” said DIAL in a statement on X (formerly Twitter).
Warnings given by DIAL were ignored
As per reports by the Hindustan Times, Delhi Airport management authority, DIAL stated that they had informed airlines about potential disruptions as early as December 2024, and secured necessary approvals by February 2025 from the DGCA and Airports Authority of India (AAI). “During such moments the airlines are to reschedule or cancel flights… However, there were minimal to no changes made,” DIAL added. “Unfortunately, this limited action/non-action has led to significant operational challenges… and impacted the passengers significantly”.
A March 4 meeting involving DIAL, AAI, the civil aviation ministry, and airlines reviewed these concerns and discussed wind pattern changes predicted by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD). Officials had warned that easterly wind conditions, which require specific runways and reduce arrival capacity to just 32 flights per hour, were likely to increase through May and June.
Change of winds increased the havoc
Under westerly winds, Delhi Airport operates more efficiently: using Runway 27 in mixed mode, Runway 29 for departures, and 29L for arrivals, the airport can handle up to 74 flights per hour. However, during easterly winds, the configuration becomes less optimal. Departures rely on Runways 09 and 11L, with arrivals limited to only Runway 11R, bringing arrival capacity down to about 32 flights per hour.
A former AAI official explained the problem in detail: “When Runway 11L is used for departures and 11R for arrivals… there must be a gap of 100 to 110 seconds between each arriving flight… which limits the number of arrivals.”
The sudden wind shift caught many off guard, despite IMD’s forecast and repeated advisories. According to officials, around 30% of operations were expected in Easterly mode in March and April, increasing to 50% by May-June, reducing runway efficiency significantly.
Terminal changes also increased difficulties
The runway closure wasn’t the only operational shift this month. On April 15, Terminal 2 was shut down, and all its 46,000 daily passengers and over 2,70,000 flights were shifted to the expanded Terminal 1, which became fully operational the same day. Though planned, the simultaneous strain of runway work and terminal restructuring created a pressure-cooker scenario for the airport.
J & K Chief Minister raised criticism
The chaos didn’t go unnoticed. Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah voiced his frustration after his flight from Jammu was diverted to Jaipur.
“Delhi airport is a bloody shit show (excuse my French but I’m in no mood to be polite)... I’ve no idea what time we will leave from here,” he posted on X.
Could it have been avoided?
While some officials suggested that the runway work could have been phased, others said that the nature of the upgrade, particularly installing inset lights and milling the surface, required a complete shutdown. March to June was anticipated as the optimal time window to avoid fog and monsoon rains.
According to the Hindustan Times, Aviation safety expert Mohan Ranganathan stressed that airlines were responsible for adjusting schedules, not the airport operator.
“The airport operator shares its plans with stakeholders… It’s the airlines who should have trimmed their operations to avoid disruption,” he told Hindustan Times.
When can better conditions be expected?
DIAL has since announced that the runway will be reopened temporarily in the first week of May, with remaining work postponed. IMD also stated that westerly winds are expected to return within two days, which could ease pressure on the runways.
The core of the chaos was a result of the closure of the runway for critical upgrades that were planned months in advance to improve the airport’s fog-handling capabilities by winter. The disruption was already anticipated due to reduced runway availability, but the chaos increased by an unexpected shift in wind direction, which drastically impacted runway usage and slashed hourly flight handling capacity.
When did this take place and what led to the chaos?
On Sunday, April 20, passengers at Delhi Airport faced a travel nightmare. According to data from Flightradar24, 501 departures and 384 arrivals were delayed, which made up over 68% of the total 1,300 flights the airport handles daily. Departure delays averaged one hour, while arrival delays stretched to 75 minutes. This wasn't a sudden crisis, but it was anticipated months ago!
The chaos resulted from the closure of Runway 10/28 on April 8 for upgrades to its Instrument Landing System (ILS) to CAT III B standards to prepare the airport for foggy winter conditions, but just as summer traffic ramps up, this timing turned out to be problematic.
“The closure of Runway 10/28 since 8th April for essential Instrument Landing System (ILS) upgradation, was planned well in advance… it was agreed amongst all stakeholders… that there will be temporary capacity constraints for arrivals,” said DIAL in a statement on X (formerly Twitter).
Warnings given by DIAL were ignored
As per reports by the Hindustan Times, Delhi Airport management authority, DIAL stated that they had informed airlines about potential disruptions as early as December 2024, and secured necessary approvals by February 2025 from the DGCA and Airports Authority of India (AAI). “During such moments the airlines are to reschedule or cancel flights… However, there were minimal to no changes made,” DIAL added. “Unfortunately, this limited action/non-action has led to significant operational challenges… and impacted the passengers significantly”.
A severe dust storm on yesterday evening April 11, 2025, caused chaos at Delhi’s IGI Airport Terminal 3, leading to delays of over 50 flights, 25 diversions, and 7 cancellations.
— 🇮🇳 Amαr (@Amarrrrz) April 12, 2025
Passengers faced overcrowding, poor communication, and long waits, with many expressing frustration… pic.twitter.com/RbFkf4Pbwc
A March 4 meeting involving DIAL, AAI, the civil aviation ministry, and airlines reviewed these concerns and discussed wind pattern changes predicted by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD). Officials had warned that easterly wind conditions, which require specific runways and reduce arrival capacity to just 32 flights per hour, were likely to increase through May and June.
Change of winds increased the havoc
Under westerly winds, Delhi Airport operates more efficiently: using Runway 27 in mixed mode, Runway 29 for departures, and 29L for arrivals, the airport can handle up to 74 flights per hour. However, during easterly winds, the configuration becomes less optimal. Departures rely on Runways 09 and 11L, with arrivals limited to only Runway 11R, bringing arrival capacity down to about 32 flights per hour.
A former AAI official explained the problem in detail: “When Runway 11L is used for departures and 11R for arrivals… there must be a gap of 100 to 110 seconds between each arriving flight… which limits the number of arrivals.”
The sudden wind shift caught many off guard, despite IMD’s forecast and repeated advisories. According to officials, around 30% of operations were expected in Easterly mode in March and April, increasing to 50% by May-June, reducing runway efficiency significantly.
Terminal changes also increased difficulties
The runway closure wasn’t the only operational shift this month. On April 15, Terminal 2 was shut down, and all its 46,000 daily passengers and over 2,70,000 flights were shifted to the expanded Terminal 1, which became fully operational the same day. Though planned, the simultaneous strain of runway work and terminal restructuring created a pressure-cooker scenario for the airport.
J & K Chief Minister raised criticism
The chaos didn’t go unnoticed. Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah voiced his frustration after his flight from Jammu was diverted to Jaipur.
“Delhi airport is a bloody shit show (excuse my French but I’m in no mood to be polite)... I’ve no idea what time we will leave from here,” he posted on X.
Delhi airport is a bloody shit show (excuse my French but I’m in no mood to be polite). 3 hours in the air after we left Jammu we get diverted to Jaipur & so here I am at 1 in the morning on the steps of the plane getting some fresh air. I’ve no idea what time we will leave from… pic.twitter.com/RZ9ON2wV8E
— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) April 19, 2025
Could it have been avoided?
While some officials suggested that the runway work could have been phased, others said that the nature of the upgrade, particularly installing inset lights and milling the surface, required a complete shutdown. March to June was anticipated as the optimal time window to avoid fog and monsoon rains.
According to the Hindustan Times, Aviation safety expert Mohan Ranganathan stressed that airlines were responsible for adjusting schedules, not the airport operator.
“The airport operator shares its plans with stakeholders… It’s the airlines who should have trimmed their operations to avoid disruption,” he told Hindustan Times.
When can better conditions be expected?
DIAL has since announced that the runway will be reopened temporarily in the first week of May, with remaining work postponed. IMD also stated that westerly winds are expected to return within two days, which could ease pressure on the runways.
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