Delhi Cold Wave, Fog Alert: North India woke up to a morning of dense fog Saturday for a second day in row with visibility being affected and flight operations in Delhi being hit. At least 50 flights have been delayed so far in Delhi, officials said.
The Indira Gandhi International Airport has already issued an advisory for passengers that operations have been impacted due to fog. “Flyers are requested to contact the airlines for updates,” the advisory read.
Multiple airlines, including IndiGo, Air India, Spicejet, have also put out advisories for passengers. IndiGo said that it “continues to experience significantly reduced visibility due to fog, impacting flight schedules”. “Poor visibility due to dense fog is impacting flight operations in Delhi and parts of Northern India,” Air India’s advisory read.
#WATCH | Delhi | A dense layer of fog blankets the national capital as a cold wave grips the city.
(Visuals from Nehru Park) pic.twitter.com/hPORfgVMVx
— ANI (@ANI) January 4, 2025
Over 50 trains arriving at Delhi are also reportedly late. The 22436 New Delhi Vande Bharat Express is delayed by over four hours, while the Varanasi Vande Bharat Express is 14 hours late. The New Delhi Vande Bharat Express is eight hours and 17 minutes late and the Anand Vihar Terminal Superfast Express is delayed by over seven hours.
#TravelAdvisory
Poor visibility due to dense fog is impacting flight operations in Delhi and parts of Northern India. Please check your flight status at: https://t.co/6ajUZVeeIM before heading to the airport.
— Air India (@airindia) January 3, 2025
Delhi is expected to witness intense fog till January 8, with light rain likely on January 6, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The temperature in Delhi on Saturday morning stood at 10 degrees Celsius.
On Friday, over 400 flights were delayed at Delhi airport and visibility conditions dropped to zero at Palam and Safdarjung stations till 9 am, improving slowly only by noon.
#6ETravelAdvisory: Departures and arrivals at #DelhiAirport are currently on hold due to reduced visibility. Please stay updated on your flight status https://t.co/IEBbuCsa3e. Once operations resume, flights may still encounter delays due to airside congestion. (1/2)
— IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) January 3, 2025
Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) officials said standard procedures linked to low visibility were put into force early Friday morning as the visibility dropped. Passengers were asked to check with airlines for information regarding flight operations.
“Airlines that complied with the CAT III landing and takeoff protocol were not impacted,” an official said. CAT III protocol is put in place as visibility dips so that flights can operate in low-visibility conditions. Pilots have to be specifically trained for it.
Besides Delhi, Srinagar, Chandigarh, Agra, Lucknow, Amritsar, Hindon and Gwalior airports also reported zero visibility.
A thick layer of fog engulfed Kashmir in the morning. Poor visibility due to the fog affected operations at the airport and all morning flights were delayed, officials said.
They added: “Due poor visibility at Srinagar airport, no flight operations have taken place so far. All airlines have rescheduled their morning operations till the visibility improves.” This is the second consecutive day that fog has affected flights at Srinagar airport.
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