New Delhi: A Kathmandu-Delhi flight usually takes less than two hours. However, for some passengers, it became an ordeal of nearly seven hours due to inclement weather in Delhi on Friday.
The IndiGo flight 6E1156 took off around 5pm (Indian time) on Friday from Kathmandu for Delhi and was scheduled to land at IGI Airport at 6.20pm. However, after a storm hit Delhi, the non-stop flight was diverted to Chandigarh as it could not land here. The passengers remained in the air for over three hours, and the flight finally landed at Chandigarh at 7.50pm.
The flight took off again from Chandigarh for Delhi at 10.09pm. However, the half-hour journey from Chandigarh to Delhi turned into a 1.44-hour flight. The traffic congestion forced the flight to reach the city via Lucknow.
Instead of flying directly to Delhi, the flight reached all the way to Lucknow and then moved to IGI Airport. As air traffic was congested following the storm, with many flights being diverted and delayed, this flight arrived at IGI Airport at 11.53pm. The flight did not land in Lucknow.
Of the nearly seven hours, the passengers spent around 4.45 hours mid-air. In contrast, the same flight took just one hour and 50 minutes from Kathmandu to Delhi on Saturday.
IndiGo on Saturday wrote on X, “Ongoing air traffic congestion in Delhi is causing flights to be held for takeoff and landing clearance. Due to the consequential impact, a few flights across the network are impacted too. We understand that extended wait times can be bothersome, and we truly appreciate your patience. We recommend checking the flight status on our website or app for the latest information.”
