A blanket of fog descended upon the national capital and its surrounding regions, causing disruptions to flight operations at Delhi International Airport on Friday (February 2). The Flight Information Display Board (FIDB) at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport indicated delays due to reduced visibility caused by the fog.
The Delhi Airport recorded an average delay of 40 minutes, a total of 396 flights experienced delays, while 20 were outright cancelled, according to the data provided by Flightradar24.
Train services were also impacted by low visibility caused by the fog.
Delhi Airport issues passenger advisory
In view of the situation, the Indira Gandhi International Airport had also issued an advisory cautioning passengers about potential disruptions to flight operations. The advisory urged travelers to stay updated by contacting their respective airlines for the latest flight information.
“Due to dense Fog, flight operations at Delhi Airport may get affected. Passengers are requested to contact the airline concerned for updated flight information. Any inconvenience caused is deeply regretted,” the advisory said.
While landings and takeoffs continued at the airport, flights not equipped with CAT III compliant systems were likely to be affected. Low-visibility procedures were in effect, although flight operations remained normal at the airport. CAT III is an advanced instrument landing system crucial for landing in adverse weather conditions like fog, rain, or snow.
Delhi weather update
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department reported very dense fog over certain parts of Delhi and East Uttar Pradesh, with dense fog observed in isolated areas of Haryana, Rajasthan, and Jharkhand.
In the Safdarjung area of New Delhi, the minimum temperature recorded on Friday stood at 12.3 degrees Celsius. The IMD forecasted dense fog for Saturday in Delhi, with rain and drizzle expected over the weekend.