Several flights were delayed on Sunday (January 14) morning after visibility at Indira Gandhi International Airport dropped to 0 metres due to the formation of very dense fog. A dense blanket of fog enveloped the national capital, causing disruptions in rail, air and traffic movement on a bitterly cold Sunday.
Bad weather conditions led to the diversion of nine flights at Delhi airport today morning, as confirmed by an official. During the period from 4:30 am to 7:30 am, these flights, including an international flight, were diverted to Jaipur.
The fog is likely to prevail during the morning hours in isolated pockets of northwest India during the next three to four days, IMD said. Recent adverse weather conditions have led to disruptions in flight operations at Delhi airport, causing potential inconveniences for travelers.
Delhi Airport, in a Twitter advisory, assured that landing and takeoff operations continue, but flights not compliant with CAT III standards may be affected. Passengers are advised to stay informed and contact their respective airlines for updated flight information.
“While landing and takeoff continue at Delhi airport, flights that or not CAT III complaint may get affected. Passengers are requested to contact the airline concerned for updated flight information. Any inconvenience caused is deeply regretted,” Delhi Airport said in an advisory on Twitter.
Indigo also acknowledged the impact of bad weather on flight operations in both Delhi and Chennai. The airline cited prevailing weather challenges in Northern India as a contributing factor to potential interruptions in their flight schedules.
Due to bad weather, flight operations in #Delhi and #Chennai are impacted…Due to prevailing weather challenges in Northern India, our flight schedules may experience interruptions! Said Indigo, the airline said in a series of Tweets.
Cold wave in north India
In the early hours of the day, the RK Puram Area recorded a minimum temperature of 7 degrees Celsius. The bone-chilling cold prompted the Indian Meteorological Department to issue an alert, highlighting the challenging weather conditions.
“Very dense fog layer extends over Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, North Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. Passengers on highways need to drive extremely carefully and only with fog lights,” the IMD posted from its X handle.
“Journeys need to be halted until fog reduction by morning especially on expressways. Very Dense fog reporting over Amritsar, Chandigarh, Patiala, Ambala, Ganganagar, Palam, Safdarjung, Lucknow with visibility 0 meter since 0230 hrs IST of today,” it added.