Omar Abdullah lashes out at Delhi airport; officials regret inconvenience

New Delhi: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has lambasted Delhi airport as his flight was delayed and diverted to Jaipur before landing in the national capital early Sunday morning.

Delhi airport operator DIAL regretted the inconvenience caused to him and said there are temporary capacity constraints due to runway upgradation and easterly winds.

“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 & 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,” Abdullah said in a post on X at 0108 hours Sunday.

He also shared a selfie from the Jaipur airport, standing on the steps of the IndiGo aircraft.

In another post at 0340 hours, Abdullah said that in case anyone is wondering, he got to Delhi just after 0300 hours.

Replying to the chief minister, DIAL said it has issued several advisories regarding the unseasonal changing wind patterns in Delhi.

“Runway 10/28 has been closed for ILS upgradation since April 8, following consultation with all stakeholders and based on historical wind patterns,” it said in a post at 1110 hours.

Additionally, DIAL said the shift toward more easterly winds and the use of converging runways for easterly arrivals have led to temporary capacity constraints during this upgradation.

“These conditions, at times, result in flight diversions to ensure passenger safety. We sincerely regret the inconvenience caused,” it said.

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

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

PTI

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