Air India flight from Delhi to Bengaluru diverted to Chennai due to operational reasons

BENGALURU: An Air India flight from New Delhi to Bengaluru was diverted to Chennai on Monday due to certain "operational reasons on the runway," sources said.

Air India confirmed that its flight AI2415 was diverted to Chennai.

The flight departed from Delhi at 9.55 am and was scheduled to reach Bengaluru at 12.50 pm.

It is learned that the plane was refuelled in Chennai before leaving for Bengaluru at 1.38 pm.

"Yes, there was a diversion for our Delhi-Bengaluru flight. It was only for a short while, and the flight returned immediately after the restriction was lifted," an Air India official told PTI.

The flight was diverted to Chennai due to operational reasons and returned to Bengaluru shortly thereafter, he added.

However, a source at Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), which manages Kempegowda International Airport, said there was no such restriction.

He explained that a notice is issued every Monday stating that flights cannot land or take off from the south runway for an hour due to maintenance.

"All flights and airline companies are aware of the restriction on the south runway," the source said.

"To land on the northern runway, which is older, pilots require specific expertise. If a pilot does not have the necessary certification, they cannot land on the northern runway—only for that one-hour window," the source explained.

He emphasised that there is no restriction, but this practice has been followed for a long time.

"We haven't stopped any aircraft from landing, but it needs to be checked with the airline if they faced any issues," he added.