NEW DELHI: Passengers aboard IndiGo flight 6E 6313 from Raipur to Delhi faced a moment of high tension on Sunday evening after the aircraft was forced to abort its landing due to a sudden dust storm and strong gusty winds sweeping the capital.
The flight was minutes from touchdown at the Indira Gandhi International Airport when the pilot, citing wind speeds of up to 80 km/h, initiated a go-around maneuver for safety. The aircraft circled above the airport before safely landing after conditions slightly improved, ANI reported.
“The pilot announced that the wind speed had reached 80 km/h and decided to climb again until the weather cleared,” a passenger told the media.
The incident occurred as a powerful dust storm followed by light rainfall hit Delhi and parts of the NCR. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had earlier forecast thunderstorms and gusty winds, with predicted speeds of up to 50 km/h due to an east-southeastward moving cloud cluster.
The adverse weather disrupted flight operations at Delhi Airport, causing at least four flight diversions—two to Jaipur and one each to Chandigarh and Amritsar—between 5:00 and 5:30 PM, according to PTI sources.
Data from Flightradar24.com showed over 350 flights were delayed through the evening, making it one of the most chaotic periods this year at IGI Airport, India’s busiest aviation hub.
The sudden turbulence underscores the growing vulnerability of air travel to shifting weather patterns, particularly during the pre-monsoon season in North India.