A powerful lightning strike hit Raipur’s Swami Vivekananda Airport on Wednesday evening. The strike disabled a critical navigation system, forcing the airport to suspend all landings and divert incoming flights.
The lightning damaged the airport’s Doppler VHF Omnidirectional Range (DVOR). This ground-based radio beacon provides essential guidance for aircraft during their landing approach. In response, airport authorities immediately halted all incoming traffic.
The shutdown caused immediate disruptions. Airlines diverted at least five IndiGo flights heading to Raipur. Air traffic controllers rerouted these planes to airports in Nagpur and Bhubaneswar. Another flight from Delhi made an unscheduled landing in Bhopal.
Airport officials confirmed they dispatched maintenance crews to fix the problem. The teams worked through the night to repair the damaged DVOR. Authorities expect flight operations to return to normal by Thursday. The following NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) has also been issued regarding the same.
C1225/25 NOTAMR C1221/25 Q)VECF/QNMAS/IV/BO/AE/000/999 A)VERP B)2509101500 C)2509111530EST E)DVOR FREQ 116.1MHZ/CH108X NOT AVBL DUE DVOR U/S.
