Heavy rain accompanied by thunder and lightning disrupted more than 20 flight services at Chennai airport between Saturday late evening and Sunday morning, causing delays, diversions and difficult conditions for passengers inside and outside the terminal.
An IndiGo flight from Kolkata carrying 184 passengers was diverted to Hyderabad after it could not land in Chennai because of the adverse weather, according to a report by DT Next. More than 10 arriving flights from Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Madurai, Tiruchy and Kolkata were also required to circle for an extended period before landing.
The affected aircraft were able to land one after another after the rain eased. The disruption, however, continued to affect scheduled departures from Chennai. Twelve domestic flights to destinations including Madurai, Kochi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune and Delhi were delayed by between one and two hours.
International services were also affected. Flights scheduled to operate to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Sri Lanka, Frankfurt and Abu Dhabi faced delays during the period of heavy rain and thunderstorms.
The weather also created problems on the airport’s ground-side operations. Water accumulated in aircraft parking areas, making it difficult for passengers to disembark from aircraft parked at stands without aerobridges. Passengers had to walk through standing water to reach pick-up vehicles, with those wearing shoes facing particular difficulty while navigating the flooded areas.
Similar conditions were reported at the departure and arrival porticos. Rainwater flowed into the passenger access areas, while vehicles picking up travellers struggled to stop and collect them. Passengers were required to move through the accumulated water to reach their vehicles.
The disruption affected the airport from Saturday night into the early hours of Sunday, when heavy rain continued across Chennai and its suburbs. The report also stated that Chennai recorded extremely heavy rain at six locations, with more showers likely.
The episode highlights how intense rainfall can affect not only aircraft movements but also the airport’s apron, passenger transfer areas and road-side access points. In this instance, the weather eased sufficiently for delayed arriving flights to land, while passengers continued to face inconvenience in areas where water had accumulated.
The report did not provide a further schedule for clearing the standing water or details of additional operational measures at Chennai airport. Flight movements and passenger access remained the immediate operational concerns as further showers were expected.
