15 Flights Diverted From Delhi Airport Amid Heavy Rain, Traffic Jam On Roads

Heavy rainfall and thunderstorms in Delhi disrupted flight operations on Monday, affecting arrivals and departures at the city airport and triggering delays across connected routes.

A total of 15 flights were diverted from Delhi airport due to adverse weather conditions, including three international flights.

Of these, 12 were diverted to Jaipur, two to Chandigarh and one to Lucknow.

Notably, intense showers were reported from parts of South Delhi and nearby regions, while the weather office, India Meteorological Department (IMD), issued a red alert for heavy rain and a yellow alert for moderate rain across several districts, with thunderstorms, lightning and winds of 30-40 kmph also expected in parts of the city.

Delhi: Heavy rain lashed parts of South Delhi pic.twitter.com/RmokPlcYh1

— IANS (@ians_india) August 24, 2026

Airlines, including SpiceJet, issued advisories warning that consequential flights could also be impacted due to the adverse weather, and urged passengers to check their flight status before leaving for the airport.

Air India issued an advisory, saying, "Adverse weather conditions may impact flight operations to and from Delhi today."

#TravelAdvisory

Adverse weather conditions may impact flight operations to and from Delhi today.

To ensure a smooth travel experience, we encourage our passengers to check the latest flight status at the following link before heading to the airport: https://t.co/5vemTROi62…

— Air India (@airindia) August 24, 2026

IndiGo said, "Bad weather over Delhi has impacted flight schedules. We are closely monitoring the weather and doing our best to get you where you need to be, safely and smoothly."

Travel Advisory

Bad weather over #Delhi has impacted flight schedules. We are closely monitoring the weather and doing our best to get you where you need to be, safely and smoothly.

If you're travelling today, we recommend checking your flight status on our website via…

— IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) August 24, 2026

SpiceJet said, "Due to bad weather in Delhi (DEL), all departures/arrivals and their consequential flights might be affected. Passengers are requested to check their flight status."

#WeatherUpdate: Due to bad weather in Delhi (DEL), all departures/arrivals and their consequential flights might be affected. Passengers are requested to check their flight status via https://t.co/ZsAAnbsXYR.

— SpiceJet (@flyspicejet) August 24, 2026

Akasa Air said, "Due to severe weather conditions in Delhi certain flights across our network have been impacted. We realize that this may inconvenience your travel plans and seek your patience and understanding."

#TravelUpdate: Due to severe weather conditions in Delhi certain flights across our network have been impacted. We realize that this may inconvenience your travel plans and seek your patience and understanding. While this situation is completely beyond our control, please rest…

— Akasa Air (@AkasaAir) August 24, 2026

The IMD, in its advisory, said that heavy rain accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning, and winds of 30-40 kmph is very likely at isolated places in parts of South East Delhi, East Delhi, Shahdara, Central Delhi, North East Delhi, South Delhi, New Delhi, South West Delhi, West Delhi, North West Delhi and North Delhi. 

It also said moderate rain accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and winds of 30-40 kmph is very likely at many places in parts of Central Delhi, South Delhi, South West Delhi, West Delhi, North West Delhi and North Delhi.

According to weather forecaster India Met Sky, scattered spells of heavy rain accompanied by lightning and gusty winds of up to 25 kmph are likely in parts of Ghaziabad, East Delhi, Noida, Gurugram, Delhi and South Delhi, along with nearby areas. 

Nowcast-1
Scattered heavy rains with loud lightning strikes, gusty winds upto 25km/h will occur in parts of #Ghaziabad, #EastDelhi, #Noida, #Gurgaon, #Delhi, #SouthDelhi and nearby areas during next 2 hours.

The weather will remain humid and hot after the spells ends and there… pic.twitter.com/M5YdG8uR1g

— IndiaMetSky Weather (@indiametsky) August 24, 2026

The agency said weather conditions are expected to remain hot and humid after the rain subsides, with similar scattered rainfall events likely over the next two days.

Meanwhile, residents took to social media to report traffic congestion and waterlogging in several parts of the city.

People are standing in long queues at Jag Pravesh Chandra Hospital, Delhi, just to collect essential medicines—and now they are being forced to stand in the rain too. Where is the basic shade and queue management? Is this how patients should be treated in a government hospital? pic.twitter.com/wYNIsj7z3F

— AJ Gaurav (@ajgauravv) August 24, 2026

After heavy rain in Ghaziabad, the weather turned pleasant, but the downpour also caused inconvenience for commuters. Traffic slowed significantly, leading to congestion on several roads.

Waterlogging was also reported from multiple parts of the city following the rain.

#WATCH | Children swim and play on a waterlogged road in Durga Vihar area of Delhi, as the city receives heavy rainfall pic.twitter.com/pfQobP0Aoi

— ANI (@ANI) August 24, 2026

#WATCH | Students wade through a severely waterlogged street in the Sangam Vihar area amid heavy rainfall in Delhi today pic.twitter.com/78O5kwdYQB

— ANI (@ANI) August 24, 2026

Many office-goers travelling to Noida from different parts of Delhi faced long delays as heavy rain slowed traffic movement across major roads. Several commuters said their usual commute time nearly doubled, with many taking around one to one-and-a-half hours to reach their offices.

Waterlogging was also seen in a parking lot in Connaught Place.

#WATCH | Delhi | Rainwater gets accumulated in a parking lot in Connaught Place as the city continues to receive heavy rainfall pic.twitter.com/8STOI8U837

— ANI (@ANI) August 24, 2026

Why Is Delhi Witnessing Rain?

The current spell of rain in Delhi is mainly being attributed to an active monsoon trough, a low-pressure area over Uttar Pradesh, and a continuous flow of moisture-laden winds from the Bay of Bengal. 

Under the influence of these weather systems, Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad and nearby areas have been witnessing persistent cloud cover and rainfall. The continuous showers have also led to a drop in temperatures, bringing relief from humid conditions.

Air Quality Improves After Rain

Rainfall over the past two days has also improved Delhi's air quality. According to data from monitoring stations, the AQI stood at 97 in Ashok Vihar, 100 in Aya Nagar, 127 in Bawana, 102 in the Cantonment area, 109 in Chandni Chowk, 83 at the Commonwealth Sports Complex, 101 on Mathura Road and 88 at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range.