Omar Abdullah lambasts Delhi airport for flight diversion, DIAL says incorrect to blame airport

New Delhi: After Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Sunday lambasted Delhi airport after his flight was delayed and diverted to Jaipur, Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) said it was incorrect to blame it for the current situation.

In an X post at 1.08 am on Sunday, Abdullah said, "Delhi airport is a bloody shit 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 and 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." He also shared a selfie from Jaipur airport, standing on the steps of an IndiGo aircraft.

In another post at 3.40 am, Abdullah said in case anyone was wondering, he got to Delhi just after 3 am.

DIAL too took to X to respond. In a post at 8.09 pm, it said, "It is incorrect to blame Delhi airport for the current delays/diversions" and that airlines did minimal to no changes in their flight schedules despite capacity constraints due to runway upgradation works.

DIAL operates the Indira Gandhi International Airport, also the country's busiest airport.

Earlier in the day, DIAL regretted the inconvenience caused to Abdullah and said there are temporary capacity constraints due to runway upgradation and easterly winds.

It said the closure of runway 10/28 since April 8 for essential Instrument Landing System upgradation was planned well in advance four months ago, in consultation with all stakeholders and based on historical wind patterns.

It was agreed among all stakeholders including airlines and Air Traffic Control that whenever the easterly winds shift and the operational use of converging runways are limited, there will be temporary capacity constraints for arrivals, DIAL said.

"When these easterly wind situations have been arising in the past few days, airlines were advised, in accordance with pre-agreed plans, to adjust flight schedules. However, there was minimal to no changes made...

"Unfortunately this limited action or non-action has led to significant operational challenges for all stakeholders including Delhi airport and Air Traffic Control, and in the end impacted passengers significantly," it said in a series of posts on X.

A source at IndiGo said the flight was diverted to Jaipur due to congestion at the Delhi airport.

In the recent days, there have been flight delays at the Delhi airport due to closure of one runway for maintenance work and easterly winds.