IGI Airport issues advisory as Delhi faces red alert for heavy rain

Delhi’s IGI Airport issued a travel advisory on Tuesday as the India Meteorological Department’s red alert brought heavy rain to the National Capital Region.

The advisory, from Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), which operates IGI Airport, stated that flight operations were continuing normally despite the adverse weather conditions expected through the day.

Passengers were urged to verify their flight status directly with their airlines before setting out for the airport, given how quickly conditions could change.

Air India, SpiceJet and IndiGo separately advised passengers to keep track of their flight timings as the red alert remained in place across parts of the city.

According to the IMD’s forecast, Delhi, Noida, Gurugram and Ghaziabad were set to see cloudy skies, intermittent light to moderate rain, thunderstorms and gusty winds through the day, with an additional spell of rain expected in the evening or at night.

The IMD has also placed the region under an orange alert for the following 48 hours, meaning showers are expected to persist even once Tuesday’s red alert conditions ease.

This follows a similar red alert issued a day earlier for eastern Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Maharashtra, where extremely heavy rainfall and flash flood risk were flagged, reflecting an active monsoon spell across northern and western India.

Earlier in the week, comparable red alerts had also covered Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir as the wider system moved across the region.

Beyond the flight advisories, officials also flagged the possibility of traffic congestion and waterlogging in low-lying parts of Delhi due to the intensity of the rain.

Residents and commuters were advised to check road conditions before travelling and steer clear of flooded stretches, even as the airport confirmed there had been no disruption to flight schedules up to that point, with passengers encouraged to build extra time into their plans given the unsettled week ahead.

(Image: Biswarup Ganguly (CC BY 3.0))