Over 70 flights diverted from Delhi due to dust storm

New Delhi, May 13 (IANS) More than 70 incoming flights were diverted from the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) here on Sunday evening following a powerful dust storm and rain, officials said.

An IGIA official said the diversions took place between 4.15 p.m. and 9 p.m. 

"Till 9 p.m. more than 70 flights have been diverted and a few outbound flights have been delayed due to the ongoing weather condition," the official told IANS.

According to the official, several inbound flights to Delhi were diverted to Amritsar, Lucknow, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Jammu and Dehradun.

The official cited poor visibility and a unique micro-weather phenomenon of "Windshear" -- gusty directionless winds -- for the disruption. The weather type is considered to be a safety risk for aviation operations. 

The airport operations were hit after a dust storm hit the capital and its neighbouring areas with wind speeds of up to 70 km per hour. It seriously disrupted road traffic and Metro services.