Lightning strike disrupts flight operations at Raipur airport, navigation restored on Thursday

RAIPUR: Flight operations at Swami Vivekananda Airport in Raipur were severely disrupted after a lightning strike damaged a key navigation system on Wednesday evening, forcing multiple flight diversions and cancellations.Airport officials said the Doppler VHF Omni-Directional Range (DVOR) equipment, crucial for guiding aircraft during landing and take-off, went unserviceable around 6 pm on Wednesday after being hit by lightning during a thunderstorm. As a result, at least six incoming flights were diverted to other airports, including Nagpur, Bhopal, and Bhubaneswar, while four flights were cancelled.“Due to the DVOR failure, landings at Raipur had to be suspended for safety reasons.

Restoration required significant technical effort from the Communication, Navigation and Surveillance (CNS) team and the Airports Authority of India staff,” an official said.After extensive repairs and checks, the DVOR facility was restored by Thursday evening at 6:30 pm, and normal flight operations resumed earlier in the day at 2 pm once weather conditions improved.The airport authority has thanked passengers for their patience, noting that flight safety could not be compromised under such circumstances.