Severe Fog Disrupts Delhi's Flight And Rail Operations, Leaving Thousands Stranded

The prolonged dense fog that endured for almost 11 hours on Sunday severely impacted flight and rail operations in the Capital, causing extended waits for thousands of passengers, as reported by airport and railway officials.

According to officials, visibility dropped below 200 meters at 12:30 am and remained at zero for approximately seven and a half hours, from 3 am to 10:30 am. This led to significant disruptions at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi, with around 400 flights experiencing delays, 10 being diverted, and at least 20 getting canceled.

Despite improved visibility for five hours from 12 pm to 5 pm, the cascading effects of delays persisted into the evening. This marked the most severe fog incident of the year, affecting transit operations and resulting in 10 diversions to Jaipur airport due to poor visibility.

An airport official noted that a total of 10 flights were diverted at different times between 4:30 am and noon. While there was no official confirmation of the number of delayed flights, the Delhi airport's website indicated around 200 delays and at least 10 cancellations throughout the day.

Flight operations were further hindered by the ongoing runway work, with repairs ongoing at runway 28/10 for the past four months. The airport initiated low visibility procedures (LVP) when visibility fell below 800 meters, implementing various categories (CAT-I, CAT-II, CAT-IIIA, and CAT-III B) to guide pilots during landing.

A pilot, Saif, shared his experience, stating that it took an additional 2 hours and 24 minutes to secure a parking bay after landing at 7:48 am. The delays also affected a special IndiGo flight carrying Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, for the "Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra."

Passengers expressed their frustration on social media, with reports of significant delays and lack of clear information from airlines. The situation is expected to persist, with forecasts by the IMD indicating dense to very dense fog on Monday, accompanied by an orange alert.

Meanwhile, the Northern Railway reported delays of at least one hour for 22 trains originating from or heading to the Capital, including the Puri-New Delhi Purushottam Express and the Kanpur-New Delhi Shramshakti Express.