20 flights cancelled, 120 delayed at Delhi airport amid heavy rains

At least 20 flights were cancelled and 120 services were delayed at the Delhi airport on Sunday amid heavy rains in north India, aviation industry sources said. These 140 flights include departures plus arrivals.

The 20 flights that were cancelled on Sunday include those that were scheduled to operate between the national capital and weather-affected cities such as Dharamshala, Shimla and Leh, the industry sources mentioned.

At least 12 SpiceJet flights on routes such as Delhi-Dharamshala and Delhi-Leh were cancelled on Sunday. Vistara cancelled its Delhi-Leh and Leh-Delhi flight on Sunday due to heavy rains, the sources noted.

About 40 per cent of flights operating to and from the Delhi airport are of IndiGo. Therefore, its operations were the most affected on Sunday due to weather. At least 55 IndiGo flights were delayed at the Delhi airport on Sunday, the sources mentioned. 

At least 27 Air India flights were also delayed on Sunday, they added. Air India, IndiGo, Vistara and SpiceJet did not respond to the newspaper's requests for statements on this matter.

The Delhi airport was scheduled to handle 1,155 commercial passenger flights on Sunday, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. The Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), which manages the busiest airport in the country, did not respond to the request for statement from Business Standard on the matter of weather affecting flights.

Torrential rains pounded several parts of north India on Sunday with 15 people killed in landslides and other rain-related incidents, while most rivers, including the Yamuna in Delhi, were in spate. 

In cities and towns across the region, many roads and residential areas were submerged in knee-deep water with the civic system unable to hold on in the face of record rains.

Flash floods washed away roads in hilly areas, leaving people marooned, while authorities asked tourists to plan their visit after the weather improves.