An international flight was delayed by nearly three hours because of abnormally hot conditions on Monday. The temperature had reached 44.9°C during daytime which forced the airport to delay the take-off of San Francisco bound Air India flight.
A total of 161 passengers were scheduled to fly to San Francisco at 2 pm but the flight could only take off after 5 pm.
“IGI airport experienced a heatwave-like condition as the temperature nearly touched 45 degrees. The maximum temperature recorded on Friday was six degrees above normal. The condition persisted for nearly three hours — from 2.30 pm to 5 pm. One flight was delayed,” RK Jenamani, who heads the IMD’s office at IGI airport, said.
The Delhi-NCR witnessed severe hot and humid conditions. There is no respite in sight until the pre-monsoon showers hit the city. As per the India Meteorological Department (IMD), pre-monsoon showers will hit the Delhi-NCR by the middle of next week.
Harish Kapoor, a resident of DLF Phase 5, said, “The heat, coupled with the high level of humidity, caused us a lot of discomforts. I avoid going out in peak summer afternoon. Hopefully, we'll get some rain soon.” gurgaon news
This was not the first occasion when a flight got delayed because of hot conditions. Many flights have got delayed in the past when the temperature crossed 44°C.
“The higher the temperature, the thinner is the air and it becomes more challenging for the plane to take off or land. There is less air beneath the wings for lifting the aircraft and less air to flow through the jet engines,” Jenamani said.
“We are expecting a partly cloudy sky over the next two days. There is a possibility of rain and thunderstorm or a dust storm on June 26, which might bring the maximum temperature down to 39°C,” a spokesperson for the IMD said.
“We are expecting pre-monsoon showers to hit Delhi and other northwestern states on June 27 or June 28. Even though we are not declaring any date for the arrival of the monsoon, it won’t be delayed,” M Mohapatra, who heads the forecasting services at the IMD, said.
