Bengaluru Rain: Airport's Terminal 2 flooded, 17 flights diverted to Chennai as heavy downpour lash the city

Bengaluru came to a partial standstill on Friday as heavy rains lashed the city, causing severe waterlogging and disrupting air travel. The downpour resulted in flooding at the Kempegowda International Airport, also known as Bengaluru Airport or BLR Airport, forcing the diversion of at least 17 flights to Chennai.

The overnight flooding primarily affected Terminal 2 (T2) of the airport, which handles most domestic flights. Videos circulating on social media showed water entering the terminal building, causing inconvenience to passengers and impacting flight operations.

"A very heavy downpour of rain within a short span of time on the evening of May 9, 2024, resulted in water leakage in certain areas of the terminals at Bengaluru airport," Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), which operates KIA said in a statement.

"Our teams promptly responded to the situation to mitigate the impact and restore normal operations. We regret the inconvenience caused to our passengers". it added.

The heavy rains, which began on Thursday night and continued through Friday morning, are being attributed to a cyclonic circulation over the Bay of Bengal. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for Bengaluru, warning of very heavy rainfall at most places over the next 24 hours.

Severe weather conditions posed significant challenges at the Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), leading to the diversion of several flights. The intense weather conditions which included heavy downpours and forceful winds created hazardous landing conditions, an official statement from BIAL described.

The tumultuous weather between 9:35pm and 10:29pm led to diversion of countless flights, including those scheduled for international destinations, as reported by the news agency PTI. These extreme weather conditions caused considerable disruption to regular airport operations, especially impacting flight arrivals and departures during that hour.

The BIAL spokesperson confirmed that a total of 17 flights were affected by these undesirable weather conditions. Precisely, 13 domestic flights were rerouted, alongside three international passenger flights, and a single international cargo flight. All these flights were redirected to Chennai as a precautionary measure against the harrowing weather in Bangalore.

The weather department has forecasted light to moderate rainfall for the northern interior regions of Karnataka until May 13. This forecast also noted the high possibility of thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds in these regions. 

This weather prediction also indicates a more intense scenario for the southern interior of Karnataka. Heavy rainfall is expected in this region on May 12 and May 13. 

Over the past few days, central Bengaluru experienced significant weather changes with rainfall observed in multiple areas. Indiranagar, Marathahalli, Vijayanagar, CV Raman Nagar, Ramamurthy Nagar, KR Puram, Hoodi, Mahadevapura, Banaswadi, among others, all received rainfall.

Meanwhile, IndiGo issued an advisory where it said, "Strong winds and good rains ahead for #Delhi #Kolkata & #Bengaluru. While you enjoy the cool weather, do keep a tab on your flight status https://bit.ly/3DNYJqj before you head to the airport."