Delhi Airport halts runway upgrade operation after nearly 900 flights thrown into disarray in just one day

Delhi International Airport halted runway upgrade operations on one of its runways on Sunday, April 20, after facing criticism on social media over air traffic congestion and delays on nearly 900 flights, reported the news agency Reuters. 

Flightradar 24, an aircraft tracking industry website, showed that nearly 500 departures from the Delhi Airport, along with 400 arrival flights, were delayed on Sunday, April 20, which marks nearly 60 to 70 per cent of the total flights of the day at Delhi International Airport.

Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), the airport owner, said that the delays were partly due to the adverse wind patterns on Sunday, reported the news agency. 

Delhi Airport

According to the official website, the Delhi International Airport is a joint venture between GMR Airports, which owns 74 per cent stake in DIAL and the Airports Authority of India, owning 26 per cent.

Delhi airport is one of the busiest international airports in India, and it caters to more than 73 million passengers every year. The airport has four runways catering to flights departing and arriving from 150 routes.

As per the agency report, DIAL shut down one of its four runways earlier in April to upgrade a system that helps aircraft land safely in low-visibility conditions. 

Delhi airport will resume operations on the runway in the first week of May after postponing remaining upgrade activities “for a month or so,” said DIAL, cited the news agency from a post on X. This comes before the busy summer travel season in India.

People on the social media platform complained about the hours of delays in the flight, both on the ground and in the air, raising concerns about stress on pilots.

“When these easterly wind situations have been arising in the past few days...airlines have been advised, in accordance with pre-agreed plans, to adjust flight schedules. However, there were minimal to no changes made,” said DIAL, pushing back against the criticism on social media.