JAIPUR: Unfavourable weather conditions and reduced visibility in Delhi caused major disruptions to flight operations on Friday night, leading to the diversion of 25 flights to Jaipur.
Amid diversions, duty hours for pilots of four flights expired as Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rules prohibit flying beyond prescribed limit. As a result, these flights remained in Jaipur and passengers from two of them were deplaned and transported to Delhi by bus, airport officials said.
As adverse conditions persisted in the national capital, six more flights, two international and four domestic, were diverted later in the night. These included flights from destinations such as Kuala Lumpur, Colombo, New York, Fujairah, and Dubai.
Airport sources said Jaipur serves as one of north India’s key diversion hubs during weather-related disruptions. “In bad weather, airports across the NCR are severely affected. In such situations, Jaipur becomes a viable alternative,” an official said. The diversion of flights increased air traffic and kept the airport busy till late into the night, the official said.
Responding to questions on the sudden influx of flights, the official added, “We anticipate such scenarios. As an international airport, we have the capacity to manage increased traffic.” On the return to normalcy, he said, “Weather conditions began improving late in the night. Flights were subsequently dispatched to Delhi, and by morning, operations had normalised.”
In a separate incident, a full emergency was declared at Jaipur airport for an AirAsia international flight, D7-182. Unable to land in Delhi due to low visibility, the aircraft remained in a prolonged holding pattern over the capital. As fuel levels dropped, the flight was diverted to Jaipur as a precaution. The aircraft landed safely at around 11:15 pm. It later departed for Delhi at approximately 3 am.