Delhi Air Pollution: Early morning chaos at IGI airport as dense smog delays over 150 flights and 10 cancellations…

Over 150 flights were delayed and two cancelled at Delhi airport as dense fog reduced visibility, disrupting flight operations and causing inconvenience to passengers during peak winter travel hours.

Heavy fog and low-visibility across the national capital and northern India has once again thrown flight operations out of gear at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, with hundreds of passengers having to wait it out for their delayed or cancelled flights in the last few days.

Low visibility early on Friday morning in Delhi due to dense fog, common on winter mornings in the national capital, forced cancellations and delays of flights by several airlines at the IGI Airport.

The visibility which went down to a few meters around 5.45 am Friday, was restored by noon after which the schedule is likely to return to normal by evening, according to the data from the airport. The Airport operators and airlines were forced to alter the flight schedules and issue advisories to passengers to bear the uncertainty, airport officials and airlines said.

Delhi’s IGI Airport said at least 150 flights have been delayed on Friday so far, with two IndiGo flights being cancelled due to low visibility at the airport. Officials at the IndiGo told reporters that they are in the process of re-arranging the timings of the flights, as weather conditions do not seem to ease any time soon.

Flight operations at IGI Airport continue, but the visibility has on and off affected normal take-offs and landing which has caused a domino effect on the subsequent flights. Delhi’s airport said operations are smooth but the airlines are facing difficulties in normal take-off and landings which is causing a delay in their flight operations. Passengers have complained of long queues at the boarding gates and uncertainty in flight announcements as the airlines try to juggle with the changing schedule.

Indian airlines IndiGo, the market leader, advised its customers to expect “delays/changes” for its flights operating during early-morning hours at Delhi and other airports in the northern part of the country. “Due to foggy conditions, flights scheduled during early morning hours at Delhi and some other airports in North may be delayed/changed. We request you to check flight status before leaving for the airport. In case of any change in schedule, our teams at the airport will assist you for re-booking, if required. We regret the inconvenience caused to you and request you to stay connected with us,” the airline said in a tweet.

Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Delhi’s IGI Airport has urged passengers to keep track of their flights via airlines, travel agencies and other official platforms, and to reach the terminals earlier than usual, taking into account the extended check-in and security screening time in the current situation.

Flight operations continue in Delhi with flights taking off and landing under ‘special’ conditions that allow for reduced visibility. IGI Airport is equipped with CAT III (Category III) landing system to allow aircraft to land in low visibility. While flights have taken off and landed in the last two days, several have been delayed as fog affects ground movement.

It is not just the IGI Airport which has been affected due to foggy conditions, similar cancellations and flight delays have been reported at airports in North India including Chandigarh, Amritsar, Jammu and Dehradun.

Rail and road services have also been affected in the national capital in the last two days as fog and smog engulfs Delhi. Delhi’s neighbour Noida and Gurugram have also witnessed a slew of flight cancellations and delays in the last two days.

Weather and travel experts say travellers in and around Delhi are likely to face such disruptions in flight services and delays and cancellations will continue to be part of the winter experience for them. Winter is here and we have to be prepared for it. It has been predicted that the cold wave may even last until Monday.