Over 300 flights delayed at Delhi airport due to dense fog

Over 300 flights were delayed at Delhi airport on Tuesday due to low visibility, though no flight diversions were reported, an official confirmed.

At 5:20 pm, Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) announced in a post on X that runway visibility had improved and flights were operating normally. Passengers were advised to contact their airlines for updated flight information.

Despite the improved conditions later in the day, more than 300 flights faced delays due to the dense fog. DIAL, which manages Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), noted that the airport handles approximately 1,300 flight movements daily.

On Monday, over 400 flights were delayed at the airport under similar low-visibility conditions. SpiceJet, in a post on X, had warned of disruptions across several airports, including Delhi (DEL), Amritsar (ATQ), Jammu (IXJ), Srinagar (SXR), Gorakhpur (GOP), Varanasi (VNS), Ayodhya (AYJ), Darbhanga (DBR), and Patna (PAT), citing expected poor weather conditions.

The cold wave and fog also caused delays for several trains at New Delhi railway station. Looking ahead, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasted rain and thundershowers on January 11 and 12, which experts suggest could reduce air pollution and improve visibility, offering relief from the persistent dense fog.

Adverse weather conditions also disrupted operations at other airports. IndiGo reported continued flight disruptions to and from Amritsar, Chandigarh, and Patna. In a post on X at 6:28 pm, the airline stated, “We understand how this impacts your travel plans and truly wish the weather had been more favourable. We’re monitoring the situation closely and hope for normalcy as soon as the weather clears”.