Delhi fog: 30 flights delayed due to poor visibility as fog engulfs city; 5 others diverted to Jaipur

New Delhi

Delhi was engulfed by heavy fog on Tuesday, forcing several flights to be cancelled. Delhi Airport Authority alerted flight passengers of delays due to dense fog in the capital city for the third consecutive day. The visibility on Tuesday morning was near zero, as per the airport authority.

The national capital saw its first major dip in temperature over the Christmas weekend, with minimum temperatures falling to 9 degrees Celsius. On the morning of December 26, the city woke up to foggy weather conditions, causing train and flight delays. 

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The Indian Meteorological Department has predicted similar weather conditions from Dec 25 to Dec 30. 

30 flights delayed due to dense fog in the capital

A total of 30 flights have been experiencing delays, both departures and arrivals, at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport, as per the Delhi Airport Flight Information Display System data. Another five flights have already been diverted to Jaipur from 8:30 am to 10:00 am.

“Delhi airport is experiencing delays in both arrivals and departures for about 30 flights, including international, due to dense fog,” airport officials said in a statement.

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The Delhi Airport is continuously assisting passengers and even issued an advisory on the flight delays. It said that while landing and takeoffs continue at the airport, flights that are not CAT III compliant may be affected. The CAT III instrument is an anti-fog landing system initiated during poor visibility.

“While landing and take-offs continue at Delhi airport, flights that are not CAT III compliant may get affected. Passengers requested to contact the airline concerned for updated flight information. Any inconvenience caused is deeply regretted,” the Delhi airport's advisory read.

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On Monday as well, around eight flights were diverted from the Delhi airport- seven to Jaipur and one to Ahmedabad. The flight diversions took place between 6:00 am and 9:00 am, as per the officials. 

Meanwhile, apart from Delhi, other places in the north Indian like Punjab, Haryana, East Uttar Pradesh, West Madhya Pradesh and Odishaare also experiencing a fall in temperatures with a blanket of heavy fog. 

(With inputs from agencies)