The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has placed 21 states under yellow-to-red alerts for 17 June as pre-monsoon thunderstorms, squalls and dust storms sweep large parts of northern and eastern India. Delhi-NCR, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh face the highest risk, with gusts expected to reach 90 km/h. Low-cost carrier IndiGo and several business-jet operators have already cautioned travellers that operations at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport could be "significantly impacted", advising passengers to monitor flight status and plan for longer ground-holds. Hyderabad and Kolkata ATC units have also issued flow-control advisories. While weather-related diversions are common during the southwest monsoon, today’s synchronised alerts cover almost half of India’s states—raising the prospect of cascading delays across the domestic network just as corporate travel rebounds. Cargo operators say late-evening departures of freighters carrying time-sensitive automotive parts from Delhi and Jaipur may need rerouting via Ahmedabad. Travel-risk managers are advising employees to build in contingency time for critical meetings, keep hard copies of boarding passes in case mobile networks falter, and reconfirm hotel bookings near alternative airports such as Lucknow and Chandigarh. The Bureau of Immigration has asked airlines to pre-validate passenger manifests to minimise queuing if manual processing becomes necessary during power fluctuations. IMD expects the current western disturbance to weaken by the evening of 18 June, after which temperatures will rise before the main south-west monsoon belt advances further north late next week.
Source: NDTV India
