Darbhanga: Flight operations at Darbhanga airport were disrupted on Monday when an IndiGo flight from Hyderabad was diverted to Varanasi before eventually landing in Bihar. The aircraft, carrying dozens of passengers, was unable to land at Darbhanga at 2:10 pm because another plane was already on the runway, leaving insufficient space. The plane touched down in Varanasi at 2:48 pm, where it was held for nearly 40 minutes before resuming its journey. It reached Darbhanga at 5:28 pm.
The disruption caused significant distress among passengers, particularly those booked on the return flight to Hyderabad, which was cancelled at short notice around 5 pm. Among them was Mushtaq Ahmed, a migrant worker scheduled to connect with a Dubai flight the same evening, who said the sudden change derailed his travel plans.
Airline officials cited poor visibility as the reason for cancelling the Darbhanga–Hyderabad flight, promising passengers that the service would resume on Tuesday. Some travellers expressed frustration, while others booked new tickets for alternative dates.
Other flights at Darbhanga also experienced delays. A SpiceJet service from Mumbai arrived 28 minutes late, while an Akasa flight from Delhi landed 20 minutes ahead of schedule. Flights from Kolkata and Mumbai showed mixed punctuality, reflecting ongoing operational challenges at the airport.
Despite the disruption, the diverted Hyderabad flight ultimately landed safely, but the incident highlighted the fragility of flight management at Darbhanga, which handled 13 services on the day.
