Flight operations continued to be impacted by dense fog at the Delhi airport for the fourth day on Friday. A red alert for dense fog has been declared in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh. The dense fog covering the national capital has resulted in several flight delays.
Several flights experienced delays in the national capital on Friday (December 29) due to fog and reduced visibility. Many flights were also diverted from the Delhi airport to other nearby airports. At least 100 flights were delayed and a few were canceled due to low visibility today.
Yesterday, the Delhi airport witnessed disruptions in around 134 flights, encompassing both domestic and international routes. Among these, 35 international departures and 28 international arrivals were affected, along with 43 domestic departures and 28 domestic arrivals experiencing delays.
Dense fog forces diversion of nearly 60 flights
According to airport sources, a total of 58 flights, mostly domestic carrier operations, faced diversions due to adverse weather conditions from midnight on December 25 to 6:00 a.m. on December 28. The sources asserted that the primary reason for these diversions was the lack of training among pilots to operate flights under low visibility conditions.
A total of 13 IndiGo flights, along with 10 flights each from Air India and SpiceJet, were diverted during this period. Additionally, Vistara witnessed the diversion of 5 flights, Akasa Air had 3 flights diverted, and Alliance Air experienced diversions for 2 flights at Delhi Airport. These flights were redirected to various airports, including Jaipur, Lucknow, and Indore.
The Delhi Airport, largest airport in the country, manages over 1,300 flights every day. Over the past few days, the national capital has experienced thick fog, particularly during the early morning hours.