On Wednesday, 11 September 2025, flight operations at Raipur Airport were badly affected after lightning struck the airport’s navigation system during a thunderstorm. The system failure forced the cancellation of 4 flights and diversion of at least 6 flights, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded.
How the Problem Started
According to officials, heavy rain, storm, and lightning damaged the navigation system in the evening. Because of this, flights to Delhi, Kolkata, Bengaluru, and Indore could not land and had to be diverted. The Airport Authority later confirmed that once the weather improved and the system was repaired, flight operations became normal again.
Delhi–Raipur Flight Diverted to Bhopal
One of the most affected flights was IndiGo 6E-5138, traveling from Delhi to Raipur with 170 passengers on board, including Vijay Baghel, MP from Durg. Due to poor visibility, the aircraft was diverted to Bhopal.
After refueling, the plane returned to Delhi around 11:45 PM, where passengers were informed that they would be sent to Raipur only the next morning. This caused anger and protests at Delhi Airport, as many travelers demanded immediate arrangements.
Passengers Finally Reach Raipur
On Thursday afternoon, IndiGo arranged an alternative flight, 6E-9056, from Delhi to Raipur. It departed at 12:40 PM and landed in Raipur at 2:25 PM. However, many passengers expressed strong dissatisfaction with IndiGo for the inconvenience and delay.
System Repaired, Flights Back to Normal
The Airport Authority of India (AAI) confirmed that the navigation system damaged by lightning has been fixed. The Airport Director said that from Thursday afternoon onwards, all flight operations at Raipur Airport are running normally.
