Heavy rain causes flight and baggage delays at Mumbai airport, passengers fume

Heavy rainfall in Mumbai on Tuesday disrupted operations at the city’s airport, leading to cascading delays in both flight schedules and baggage delivery. Arrivals were delayed by about 10 minutes on an average, while departures were held up by nearly 20 minutes.

Several passengers complained on social media that even after landing, they were left waiting for hours for their luggage.

“Stuck in Mumbai Airport for last 45 mins after arriving from Delhi for checked in luggage. After some luggage arrival, it stopped. The indigo person Sahil Nigam came and rudely carelessly telling that they cant tell when luggage will come,” wrote, Mrinmoy_Susmita, on X.

Another passenger posted, “Worst Experience at Mumbai Airport. Indigo Flight 6E 449 Landed at 06:53 & Its 08:00 but Still Most of passengers are waiting for luggage. Indigo Customer Representatives are making excuses only while they don't have idea about our luggage.”

IndiGo responded online, saying, “We sincerely regret the inconvenience and truly understand how stressful delays can be. Due to heavy rainfall in Mumbai, airport operations have been effected, causing delays in both flight schedules and baggage delivery.”

The authorities urged travellers to check their flight status before leaving for the airport. Normally, air traffic eases after midnight, but on Tuesday, the backlog continued well past 4.30 am due to aircraft holding patterns and delayed departures.

IndiGo Airlines also issued a travel advisory, flagging waterlogging across key routes to the airport and cautioning passengers of traffic congestion that could further slow down operations. Travellers were asked to monitor updates via the IndiGo app or website.

Akasa Air, in its own advisory on X, said: “Due to heavy rainfall in certain parts of Mumbai, Hyderabad, Goa, Pune, and Guwahati, we anticipate slow moving traffic and congestion on roads leading to the airport. To ensure a seamless travel experience, we request you to plan for additional travel time to reach the airport well in time for your flight.”

With more rain forecast, authorities and airlines have warned passengers to prepare for continued disruptions.