Bengaluru: 14 Flights Diverted As Heavy Rainfall Hits City

Fourteen flights were redirected and six takeoffs were deferred on Tuesday night because of storm.

Inclement weather conditions at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) disrupted several flight services, reported news agency PTI. Fourteen flights were redirected and six takeoffs were deferred on Tuesday night because of storm and terrible climate in Devanahalli, airport authorities said. An official at the airport stated that flight operations were impacted from 4.05 p.m. to 4.51 p.m. due to strong crosswinds, heavy rain, and thunder and lightning.

"Overall 14 flights were diverted. 12 were diverted to Chennai, one to Coimbatore and one to Hyderabad. Airline wise count – seven Indigo Flights, three Vistara, two Akasa Airlines and one each of Go Air and Air India. Six departures were delayed," the official told PTI.

The official went on to say that operations as usual has resumed.

"Flights diverted to Chennai are being refueled and will return to Bengaluru shortly," she said as quoted by PTI.

The KIA in Devanahalli received 45.2 millimeters of rain on Tuesday evening, according to the Met department.

Traffic was thrown out of gear as a result of the torrential downpour, and everyday life in Devanahalli was paralyzed.

On the other hand, there was no rainfall in the city's center.

Over the city on Monday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a thunderstorm warning. According to the Met department, isolated locations in Karnataka's Bengaluru, Chamarajanagara, and Kolar districts are likely to experience rain and thunderstorms with lightning.

The Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC), on Tuesday issued rainfall maps enumerating pre-monsoon rainfall patterns in the state for a long time - from January 1 to April 3 - which showed that rainfall got in Bengaluru was 'normal'. However, the KSNDMC data indicate that the districts of Bidar, Chikkaballapura, and Kolar experienced an "excess" rainfall.