Bengaluru, 10 May

Heavy overnight rain disrupted flight services in Bengaluru between 9.35 pm and 10.29 pm, officials at the Kempegowda International Airport said on Friday.

Disruptions took place due to water leakage inside the airport Terminal 2. The cracks on the roof lead to the leaking. Visuals showed water pouring from the ceiling near the baggage conveyor belt area of Terminal 2. The section has been closed for passengers.

An official said 13 domestic flights, three international passenger flights, and one international cargo flight were diverted to Chennai on Thursday.

The Treminal 2 (T2) of the Bengaluru Airport was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 11 November, 2022. Known as a terminal in a garden, the T2 was built at a cost of Rs 5,000 crore and is recognized as one of the ‘world’s most beautiful airports’ by UNESCO’s Prix Versailles 2023. The terminal, which started domestic operations on 15 January, 2023, witnessed first incident of water leakage months after its inauguration. International flight operations began at the terminal on 12 September.

"A very heavy downpour of rain within a short span of time on the evening of 9 May, 2024, resulted in water leakage in certain areas of the terminals at Bengaluru airport," Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), which operates KIA said in a statement.

"Our teams promptly responded to the situation to mitigate the impact and restore normal operations. We regret the inconvenience caused to our passengers". it added.

The rain coupled with strong winds brought down many trees in several parts of the city including, Jayanagar, Nrupathunga Nagar and RR Nagar.

The rains also brought relief to the Bengaluru residents from the blistering summer heat, which they had not witnessed for many decades. The City has been receiving rain for the past four days.

According to the India Meteorological Department, Bengaluru city received 14 mm rain in the 24-hour period till 8.30 am on Friday. It said in a statement the maximum and minimum temperature of the city stood at 33 and 22 degrees Celsius respectively in the last 24 hours. -PTI