Heavy Rains Cause Water Leaks in Bengaluru Airport’s T2 Terminal, Upto 17 Flights Diverted

Heavy rains caused water leaks in Bengaluru airport’s T2 terminal, causing 17 flights to be diverted to Chennai. According to a statement from Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), which operates KIA, “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”.

On May 9, Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Bengaluru faced another challenge as heavy rain pounded the city, causing water leakage within the terminal building and diverting multiple flights due to poor visibility.

Rainwater was dripping from the roof near T2’s baggage claim area after the rain. The water leaks in Bengaluru Airport’s T2 terminal were significant enough for the rerouting of flights, including international.

“Rainwater started leaking from the roof, forming a puddle near the conveyor belt. “The housekeeping staff cleared it to avoid inconvenience to passengers,” an airport employee told Moneycontrol.

In a statement, Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), which operates KIA, stated that “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”.

“Our teams responded quickly to mitigate the impact and restore normal operations. We regret any inconvenience caused to our passengers.”, it added.

According to IMD readings at 8:30 a.m. on May 10, the KIA station recorded 72.4 mm of rainfall, while Bengaluru City received 14 mm.

The T2 of the KIA was built at a cost of Rs 5,000 crore and inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on November 11, 2022. T2, also known as a garden terminal, was named one of the ‘world’s most beautiful airports’ by UNESCO’s Prix Versailles 2023. The terminal, which began domestic operations on January 15, 2023, experienced its first bout of water leakage just months after opening. International flights at T2 began on September 12.

Due to heavy rains on Thursday night, 17 flights bound for Bengaluru were diverted to Chennai instead. A BIAL spokesperson confirmed that 13 domestic flights, three international passenger flights, and one international cargo flight were diverted.

“Heavy rainfall accompanied by strong winds rendered the airport inaccessible for landings between 9:35pm and 10:30pm, leading to the diversion of flights,” a spokesperson for BIAL stated.

Domestic flights diverted from Bengaluru to Chennai included four IndiGo flights (from Pune, Kolkata, Lucknow, and Madurai), four Air India Express flights (from Hyderabad, Lucknow, Mumbai, and Ranchi), and two Air India flights from Delhi and Hyderabad. Other affected domestic flights included a Vistara flight from Delhi, an Akasa Air flight from Pune, and a Star Air flight from Jamnagar.

The three international flights diverted from Bengaluru to Chennai were Singapore Airlines (SQ 510), Etihad (EY 238) from Abu Dhabi, and KLM (KL-879) from Amsterdam. On the evening of May 9, many airport-bound passengers were severely inconvenienced by water-logged roads.

According to traffic police, waterlogging has been reported from Chalukya Circle to the Hebbal flyover and Hunasamaranahalli.

“Hunasamaranahalli (near the IAF station) on Airport Road is flooded. Slow-moving traffic on both sides causes heavy congestion… Commuters, please cooperate… Commuters can expect a 30 to 40-minute delay at the airport,” Bengaluru traffic police said in an advisory on May 9.