National Desk, 26th December: Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport faced significant disruptions in operations due to dense fog blanketing the national capital. The reduced visibility caused delays in flight schedules, affecting a total of 30 flights, including international ones.
Airport officials reported delays in both arrivals and departures, citing dense fog as the primary cause. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had forecasted very dense fog in Delhi and other parts of the country, expecting it to persist until January 2. Visibility at the Delhi airport dropped to as low as 125 meters in some areas, prompting the diversion of eight flights—seven to Jaipur and one to Ahmedabad.
Airlines like IndiGo and SpiceJet alerted passengers to potential disruptions due to ‘low visibility’ conditions, with the airport advising passengers to contact airlines for updated flight information. While landings and take-offs continued, flights lacking CAT III instrument landing systems were susceptible to disruptions, as these systems aid in landing during poor visibility conditions.
Passengers expressed inconvenience on social media, highlighting delays and disruptions. The dense fog not only impacted air travel but also posed risks on roads, evidenced by an accident involving a Haryana roadways bus colliding with a trolley due to poor visibility.
This weather phenomenon is familiar to Delhi residents during winter months, with the IMD predicting continued foggy conditions in various parts of the country, including isolated pockets of Punjab, Haryana, East Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and north Madhya Pradesh. Travelers were advised to stay updated on flight statuses and make necessary adjustments to their plans.
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