A Delhi-bound IndiGo flight from Srinagar carrying Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah was diverted to Jaipur on Saturday night, causing a long delay. The Chief Minister, who was in the flight, shared his frustration online, calling the situation at the Delhi Airport a "sh*t show".

Mr Abdullah said the flight had taken off from Jammu and stayed in the air for three hours before it was rerouted to Jaipur because of what he believed was “apparent congestion or disruption” at Delhi Airport.

“I’m in no mood to be polite,” Says Abdullah

Taking to the social media platform X late at night, the Chief Minister shared a selfie of himself standing on the aircraft stairs, mentioning that he got off the aircraft for a short while to breathe some fresh air as the plane waited on the Jaipur runway. Passengers, including Mr Abdullah, were reportedly stranded for hours.

He posted:

"Delhi airport is a bloody sh*t show (excuse my French but I'm in no mood to be polite). 3 hours in the air after we left Jammu, we get diverted to Jaipur & so here I am at 1 in the morning on the steps of the plane getting some fresh air. I've no idea what time we will leave from here."

Nearly three hours later, he shared another update:

"In case anyone is wondering, I got to Delhi just after 3:00 AM".

Delhi airport responds to Abdullah’s complaint

On Sunday, the Delhi Airport authorities responded to Omar Abdullah’s post and explained why the flight had to be diverted. They pointed to changing wind patterns and ongoing work on one of the runways as the main reasons.

The airport said that Runway 10/28 has been closed since April 8 for an Instrument Landing System (ILS) upgrade. This system helps planes land more safely, especially in tricky weather conditions. The closure was planned after speaking with all stakeholders and studying past weather data.

They wrote:

"Dear Mr. Abdullah, as you may be aware, we've issued several advisories regarding the unseasonal changing wind patterns in Delhi. Runway 10/28 has been closed for ILS upgradation since 8th April, following consultation with all stakeholders and based on historical wind patterns. Additionally, the shift toward more easterly winds and the use of converging runways for easterly arrivals have led to temporary capacity constraints during this degradation."

The Delhi Airport has been dealing with many delays lately, partly due to the infrastructure work and partly because of unusual weather conditions like changing wind directions. These issues are leading to temporary capacity constraints, causing some flights to be delayed or diverted.

 

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