After passengers forced to take tractors to Bengaluru airport, official says they didn’t come in
In video clips shared on social media, the roads outside the Bengaluru airport were seen flooded and several passengers stranded after the city witnessed heavy rainfall.
A day after several passengers were seen taking tractors as roads leading to the Bengaluru airport were waterlogged amid heavy rain in the city, a senior official said on Tuesday they are doing everything to ease out the situation. Jayaraj Shanmugam, the chief operating officer of Bangalore International Airport Limited, said the water logging in and around the area was because of the “unprecedented” rain.
“The amount of rainfall was unprecedented so waterlogging occurred. The staff is ensuring that no inconvenience occurs to anyone,” Shanmugam told news agency ANI. “There was no tractor at the airport, it was outside at Begur junction. We are putting in additional pumps,” Shanmugam added.
Also watch | Bengaluru airport: How flyers took tractor rides to catch flights amid flooding
In video clips shared on social media, the roads outside the Kempegowda International Airport (KIAL) in Bengaluru were seen flooded and several passengers stranded after the city witnessed heavy rainfall, causing a flood-like situation. The waterlogging at the road to the airport made it difficult for the passengers to reach the airport and some of them were seen being ferried on a tractor outside the airport.
ALso read | Bengaluru rain: Roads outside airport flooded, passengers take tractor rides to catch flights
The News Minute reported citing an airport spokesperson as saying that at least 11 flights were rescheduled and 20 planes headed from Bengaluru to Chennai, Pune, Hyderabad, Mangaluru, Mumbai, Kochi and Panaji were delayed. The digital news platform said that a heavy spell of rain for around 15-30 minutes led to the waterlogging and that the Bengaluru airport recorded 178.3mm of rainfall over 24 hours ending 8.30am on Tuesday, according to the Meteorological Centre. Bengaluru city on the other hand received 32.6mm of rainfall and Bengaluru HAL recorded 20.8mm. Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted heavy rain, thunderstorm and lighting for the city.
Also read | Arrival area of Delhi airport’s T3 floods, over 100 flights delayed
Last month, Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport was flooded due to heavy rain which lashed the national capital. The intense rain on September 11 caused flooding in the arrival area in Terminal 3, as well as the area where aircraft are parked, even as more than 100 flights were delayed and five diverted. Officials said rainwater leaked into Terminal 3 from at least four spots on the roof. The Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), the airport operator, attributed the waterlogging inside the terminal to “a steep gradient” between Terminal 3 and National Highway 48 adjoining it. The airport’s forecourt flooded in October 2019 as well after an intense spell of rain.