Flight operations in Delhi faced disruptions on Thursday (November 14) as thick smog blanketed the national capital, reducing visibility significantly. According to Flightradar24, close to 400 flights, 257 departures and 139 arrivals, at Delhi Airport experienced delays due to the low visibility.
While the arrival delays average 17 minutes, departures are facing a more substantial average delay of more than 50 minutes, as reported by the flight-tracking website.
Meanwhile, the Delhi airport had issued an advisory for passengers in the morning, alerting them of the low visibility.
“Low visibility procedures in progress at Delhi Airport. Passengers are requested to contact the airline concerned for updated flight information,” Delhi airport wrote in a post on X.
Delhi’s air quality ‘severe’
A thick layer of fog blanketed parts of Delhi for the second day in a row on Thursday, with the air quality index (AQI) still in the ‘severe’ category, an official reported. The city recorded its lowest minimum temperature of the season so far at 16.1 degrees Celsius, which is three degrees above the usual average, according to the weather department. As of 9 a.m., the Central Pollution Control Board recorded Delhi’s AQI at 428, firmly within the ‘severe’ range.
“Of 39 monitoring stations in Delhi, 32 recorded air quality in the ‘severe’ category, with readings above 400. These stations include Anand Vihar, Ashok Vihar, IGI Airport, ITO, Mandir Marg, North Campus, Patparganj, Punjabi Bagh, and Pusa among others,” an official said.
