CityweliveAn Air India flight en route from Bali to Delhi was rerouted to Varanasi’s Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport owing to adverse weather conditions in the national capital, an official stated on Wednesday. The aircraft later resumed its journey to Delhi later that same night following a halt in Varanasi on Tuesday.
Puneet Gupta, Director of Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport, Varanasi, mentioned that flight AI 2146 had to be redirected as inclement weather over Delhi drastically reduced visibility, rendering it unsafe for landing.
“The aircraft, carrying 187 passengers, landed safely at Varanasi airport,” Gupta noted, adding that “all essential services and amenities were provided to passengers during the delay.”
The aircraft was subsequently cleared for departure and proceeded to Delhi later that evening.
Meanwhile, a separate flight from Delhi to Bali was compelled to return to the national capital on Wednesday due to a volcanic eruption in proximity to Bali airport.
The aircraft landed safely back in Delhi, and all passengers disembarked without incident, Air India confirmed in a statement.
“Air India flight AI2145 on June 18, operating from Delhi to Bali, was instructed to return to Delhi following alerts of volcanic activity near Bali’s airport, prioritizing passenger safety,” the airline said.
On Tuesday, flight AI 2146 had been scheduled to depart Denpasar International Airport in Bali, Indonesia at 10:30 am (local time), with an expected arrival at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi around 2:30 pm.
According to flight tracking portal FlightRadar24, the Airbus A321 landed in Varanasi instead of Delhi at approximately 3:50 pm. The aircraft had been near the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border when the diversion was made, the tracking data indicated.
Air India has been dealing with a series of flight cancellations and reroutes since a tragic incident involving its London-bound flight, which crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad on June 12. The disaster claimed the lives of over 270 individuals, including passengers and people on the ground.
On Tuesday alone, the airline called off seven international flights, raising the total number of cancellations since the Ahmedabad tragedy to more than 80.
Flight services at Delhi airport saw significant disruptions on Tuesday, with 14 flights redirected — six to Bhopal, three to Chandigarh, two to Amritsar, and one each to Ahmedabad, Varanasi, and Lucknow.
More than 400 flights experienced delays, and some were canceled, according to data from FlightRadar24.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Air India stated that due to unfavorable weather in Delhi, “Our flight schedules are being affected with certain diversions.”
