India's Delhi airport resumes operations after power cut, flights not affected, say sources

FILE PHOTO: Travellers push trolleys with their luggage at the departure area of Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, India, December 14, 2022. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis/File Photo

By Aditi Shah

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - A power outage lasting several minutes at India's busiest airport in Delhi caused minor disruptions to some services within the terminal on Monday but no flights were affected, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

The outage, which lasted around seven minutes, affected baggage collection and entry at the e-gates, one of the sources at the airport told Reuters.

The Indira Gandhi International Airport in the capital New Delhi, owned and run by GMR Airports, has three terminals for commercial and cargo flights.

Air conditioners in the terminal stopped working during the outage, but were restored soon after, the source said.

Temperatures in the capital have soared to record breaking levels in recent weeks, with water shortages and frequent power cuts adding to residents' woes.

One airline source, who did not want to be named, said the power outage could cause check-in and boarding delays.

June is typically a busy month for the airline industry in India as schools are shut for the summer break.

Some social media users posted images of passengers standing in long queues at check-in counters as airline officials waited for computers to power up again.

GMR did not immediately respond to a request for comment on a public holiday in India.

India is one of the world's fastest-growing aviation markets with domestic air travel expected to double to 300 million passengers from a record 152 million in 2023, according to government data.

(Reporting by Aditi Shah and Tanvi Mehta; Editing by Ros Russell)