Cancellations, delays continue at IGIA, over 150 flights affected
New Delhi: Flight operations at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport continued to be impacted on Sunday, with over 150 flights delayed and 97 flights cancelled.An airport official confirmed that of the total cancelled flights, 44 were domestic arrivals and 52 were domestic departures.
However, only one international flight—from Delhi to Tel Aviv—was cancelled on Sunday.According to FlightRadar24, a live flight tracking website, more than 150 flights were delayed at IGI Airport, with the average delay being 15 minutes.The disruptions follow the launch of Operation Sindoor on Wednesday, which led to airspace restrictions and affected flight operations. Currently, 32 airports across the country are closed, leading to the cancellation of domestic flights scheduled to operate from these airports. On Saturday, 60 domestic flights were cancelled, and over 200 flights were delayed.With enhanced security at the airport, airlines are advising passengers to arrive at least three hours prior to departure.In a statement issued on Sunday, IGI Airport said, "Delhi Airport is operating normally. However, due to changes in airspace dynamics and increased security measures, some flight schedules and security checkpoint processing times may be affected." The airport advised passengers to follow hand baggage and check-in luggage regulations, allow extra time for security checks due to heightened measures, and cooperate with airline and security personnel for smooth facilitation. Passengers were also urged to check the latest flight status through their airline or the IGIA official website. TNN
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Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Delhi airport runway closure to affect 200 flights daily
Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport will cancel 114 flights daily and reschedule another 86 during a three-month runway closure from June 15 to September 15, airport operator Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) announced on Friday. The plan, developed after detailed deliberations with airlines and other stakeholders, aims to prevent a repeat of the widespread chaos that erupted in April when the same runway maintenance work was attempted without adequate coordination. Also Read: Major flight disruptions on cards for Delhi airport | Here's why DIAL said that while it has rescheduled 86 flights to non-peak hours, 114 flights (57 arrivals and 57 departures) will be cancelled daily when runway 28/10 undergoes upgradation work to make it CAT-IIIB compliant for the upcoming fog season. 'We are better prepared now for this exercise and detailed deliberations and stakeholder consultations were held in the last few weeks,' DIAL chief executive officer Videh Kumar Jaipuriar said on Friday, acknowledging that these adjustments were not made previously, which led to the April chaos. Also Read: Operations hit at Delhi's IGI airport amid massive dust storms, 14 flights diverted The first attempt to upgrade runway 28/10 in April had to be aborted within four weeks after flight schedules descended into chaos. The airport became unable to handle its daily load of flights, a situation made worse due to unseasonably high spells of easterly winds, which reduced the hourly arrival rate from 42 flights per hour to 32 flights per hour. The month of May is regarded as the peak of the summer season, including vacation travel, followed by travel surges in the pre-winter and winter months that feature a number of festivals and the wedding season. Operations on runway 28/10 resumed on May 6, almost a month after it shut down, following directions from the ministry of civil aviation (MoCA) citing passenger inconvenience. The ministry had directed that upgradation work resume in June with proper planning. 'For every one hour where flights are delayed, it takes three hours for the flight schedule to become normal, as there is a cascading effect on the remaining schedule,' Jaipuriar explained, highlighting why proactive cancellations are necessary this time. The airport typically handles close to 1,450 flights daily, meaning around 7.8% of all flights will be cancelled on a daily basis—marginally above the typical 3-4% daily flight cancellations. 'So this is just marginally above average,' Jaipuriar said. The plan involves shifting more flights from peak hours to non-peak hours to reduce possible impact during the closure period. 'Earlier, we were seeing only 25-26 flights landing in some off-peak hours,' Jaipuriar said, explaining how better distribution of flight movements will help manage the constraints. Key domestic airlines – IndiGo, Air India, SpiceJet and Akasa Air – did not respond to requests for a comment. Officials close to the matter, who asked not to be named, revealed that IndiGo will be cancelling 33 daily flights, while Air India will have to cancel 25 flights daily. Delhi airport operates four runways: 27/9, 28/10, 29R/11L and 29L/11R. Following closure of 28/10, runway 29R/11L will handle departures, 29L/11R will handle all arrivals, and runway 27/9 will be hybrid, handling both arrivals and departures. If westerly winds prevail, the three operational runways will handle 42 arrivals and 42 departures each per hour. However, in case of easterly winds—which caused major problems in April—they will be able to handle 42 departures but only 32 arrivals. The period of works will coincide with the monsoon season, when wind patterns can vary and force the airport into orienting operations for the easterly winds scenario. DIAL said flights from major airports have not been impacted significantly, with only a 4-8% reduction in daily flights. For Mumbai, arrivals will decrease from 56 to 54; for Kolkata, from 22 to 21; for Ahmedabad, from 21 to 19; for Bengaluru, from 38 to 36; for Chennai, from 20 to 19; and for Patna, from 13 to 12. 'The same flights that arrive at an airport depart back, so the same number of departures are also impacted,' Jaipuriar explained. Runway 28/10 requires closure for two key works: making it CAT-IIIB compliant so flights can land in very dense fog spells, and upgrading the existing Instrument Landing System (ILS). 'Even if it finishes by September 15, work will be done before the festive season starts. Ultimately, it will benefit fliers in the fog season, when visibility becomes extremely low,' Jaipuriar said. Currently, during peak fog conditions, only 15 flights can land every hour on the airport's only CAT-III B compliant runway. This upgrade work will allow 30 flights to land every hour, significantly improving winter operations when Delhi's dense fog typically causes widespread flight delays. DIAL said it shared a slot adjustment plan with airlines on April 25, with airlines providing feedback in the first and second weeks of May. The finalised slots and plan were submitted to the ministry on May 22 and subsequently to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, which evaluated and approved the plan.
Economic Times
2 hours ago
- Economic Times
Amid Covid & global chaos, Indians' big fear: Missing that flight
Despite global uncertainties, travel is booming. Summer holiday packages are more expensive this year. Destinations like Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Georgia are popular, but Thailand remains a favorite. Domestic spots like Ladakh and Goa are also in demand. Bookings have recovered after a brief lull. Southern India, Uttarakhand and Goa are seeing increased interest. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Kanika Mehra, a schoolteacher from Noida is looking up flights and hotels for her upcoming holiday this month. It's turning out to be a difficult choice. June flight fares for Vietnam, a destination at the top of her list, are about 50% higher than those in July, signalling high demand during the summer school break. Mehra, wanting to escape the domestic summer rush in the hills, turns to Sri Lanka. But the southwest monsoon season is playing on her mind, though the fares are lighter on the fares for Georgia, another emerging destination, are up as well and the visa will take over 10 days to arrive. She says she'll likely pick Thailand eventually, considering the easier access and more reasonable global uncertainties, and the recent spike in Covid-19 cases in India, travel sentiment remains strong and holiday packages for ongoing summer breaks for both domestic and international destinations are pricier by up to 15 % year-on-year, said travel experts.'Travellers had been in the waitand-watch mode last month following Operation Sindoor, but bookings are now happening full throttle,' said a travel industry could rise up to 15%, especially to international destinations such as Georgia, Vietnam and Sri Lanka, which have turned out to be more affordable than some of the top domestic spots over the past year, said Tavleen Bhatia, chief marketing and revenue officer at 2024, Vietnam welcomed about 500,000 Indian tourists, a fourfold jump from pre-pandemic levels. India was the top primary market for Sri Lanka in December last year with 52,881 arrivals, accounting for a 21.3% share. Around 124,300 Indian tourists visited Georgia in 2024, marking a 46.8% increase from the previous destinations in demand are Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Goa and Kerala while popular international ones include Bhutan, Thailand and Sri Lanka.A three-night Goa getaway package for the second week of June for two adults is priced at Rs 66,290, inclusive of flights, hotel, one activity and four meals on a popular travel comparison, a four-night-five-day package for two at Ha Long Bay in Vietnam for June 22 is substantially lower at Rs 47,932 on the same platform. That includes hotel accommodation, four activities and nine average, package prices are up 7-8% compared to last summer, primarily driven by high demand, fuel prices and dynamic airfare fluctuations, Jatinder Paul Singh, CEO and cofounder of Viacation.'For domestic travel, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Andaman and Ooty are among the top picks,' he said. 'Internationally, destinations like Bali, Thailand, Maldives and Sri Lanka continue to attract significant interest from Indian travellers.' Occupancies are 13% higher than last year for StayVista while average room rates are up 6%, said Amit Damani, cofounder of the villa and bungalow rental company. 'There was a concern around how summer bookings will pan out following the conflict between India and Pakistan, but bookings have bounced back from the second half of May,' he said. 'We are especially seeing higher demand in Southern India, Uttarakhand and Goa.' Bhutan is seeing high interest, said SD Nandakumar, president and country head for holidays and corporate tours at SOTC is a notable surge in travel interest for Tokyo and Abu Dhabi this summer with the destinations seeing a 110% and 180% increase in searches, respectively, from the same time last year, said Santosh Kumar, country manager for India, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Indonesia at Darjeeling, Rishikesh and Munnar are among the top 10 most searched destinations this month,' he added.
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Amid Covid & global chaos, Indians' big fear: Missing that flight
Kanika Mehra, a schoolteacher from Noida is looking up flights and hotels for her upcoming holiday this month. It's turning out to be a difficult choice. June flight fares for Vietnam, a destination at the top of her list, are about 50% higher than those in July, signalling high demand during the summer school break. Mehra, wanting to escape the domestic summer rush in the hills, turns to Sri Lanka. But the southwest monsoon season is playing on her mind, though the fares are lighter on the pocket. Flight fares for Georgia, another emerging destination, are up as well and the visa will take over 10 days to arrive. She says she'll likely pick Thailand eventually, considering the easier access and more reasonable fares. Despite global uncertainties, and the recent spike in Covid-19 cases in India, travel sentiment remains strong and holiday packages for ongoing summer breaks for both domestic and international destinations are pricier by up to 15 % year-on-year, said travel experts. 'Travellers had been in the waitand-watch mode last month following Operation Sindoor, but bookings are now happening full throttle,' said a travel industry insider. Live Events Fares could rise up to 15%, especially to international destinations such as Georgia, Vietnam and Sri Lanka, which have turned out to be more affordable than some of the top domestic spots over the past year, said Tavleen Bhatia, chief marketing and revenue officer at Cleartrip. In 2024, Vietnam welcomed about 500,000 Indian tourists, a fourfold jump from pre-pandemic levels. India was the top primary market for Sri Lanka in December last year with 52,881 arrivals, accounting for a 21.3% share. Around 124,300 Indian tourists visited Georgia in 2024, marking a 46.8% increase from the previous year. Domestic destinations in demand are Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Goa and Kerala while popular international ones include Bhutan, Thailand and Sri Lanka. A three-night Goa getaway package for the second week of June for two adults is priced at Rs 66,290, inclusive of flights, hotel, one activity and four meals on a popular travel portal. In comparison, a four-night-five-day package for two at Ha Long Bay in Vietnam for June 22 is substantially lower at Rs 47,932 on the same platform. That includes hotel accommodation, four activities and nine meals. On average, package prices are up 7-8% compared to last summer, primarily driven by high demand, fuel prices and dynamic airfare fluctuations, Jatinder Paul Singh, CEO and cofounder of Viacation. 'For domestic travel, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Andaman and Ooty are among the top picks,' he said. 'Internationally, destinations like Bali, Thailand, Maldives and Sri Lanka continue to attract significant interest from Indian travellers.' Occupancies are 13% higher than last year for StayVista while average room rates are up 6%, said Amit Damani, cofounder of the villa and bungalow rental company. 'There was a concern around how summer bookings will pan out following the conflict between India and Pakistan, but bookings have bounced back from the second half of May,' he said. 'We are especially seeing higher demand in Southern India, Uttarakhand and Goa.' Bhutan is seeing high interest, said SD Nandakumar, president and country head for holidays and corporate tours at SOTC Travel. There is a notable surge in travel interest for Tokyo and Abu Dhabi this summer with the destinations seeing a 110% and 180% increase in searches, respectively, from the same time last year, said Santosh Kumar, country manager for India, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Indonesia at 'Manali, Darjeeling, Rishikesh and Munnar are among the top 10 most searched destinations this month,' he added.
