Flights delayed as crew, passengers battle traffic

New Delhi: Wednesday evening's downpour led to chaos at the IGI airport as passengers and crew members got stuck in massive traffic jams in the city. Many flights were delayed as a result and some passengers also missed flights. Waterlogging outside the domestic departure terminal and flooding inside the terminal added to the problems.
According to sources, almost all passengers turned up late as there was a massive jam just outside the airport and on the expressway.
Crew members also got caught in the mess and an Air India Dubai flight was delayed by an hour because of this. All airlines faced similar problems and passengers of many flights that could not be delayed, simply ended up missing their flights.
The 20 minutes of heavy rain left the drop-off area in front of the domestic departure terminal flooded. However, this time the problem was not restricted only to the cityside. Once in, passengers were horrified to find most of the terminal flooded, probably due to a leaking roof.
In the midst of it all, airport sources also said their back offices did not have any power for around two hours in the afternoon, though airport work wasn't affected. DIAL officials, however, said the problem was not so acute.
07/08/08 Neha Lalchandani/Times of India

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Categories: Airports Aug 2008