Flight operations at major airports in Uttar Pradesh faced severe disruption on Tuesday as a blanket of dense fog drastically reduced visibility across the region. Passengers at airports in Lucknow, Ayodhya, and Varanasi experienced significant delays, cancellations, and diversions, leading to widespread inconvenience.
Ayodhya Airport: Diverted and Delayed Services
At the newly prominent Ayodhya Airport, the fog impacted several key services. While no cancellations were reported among the nine scheduled arrivals and nine departures, one flight was diverted and four others faced substantial delays. A SpiceJet flight, SG445-446, operating on the Ahmedabad-Ayodhya-Mumbai route, was notably diverted to Delhi. It eventually managed to land in Ayodhya at 12.55 pm, nearly four hours behind its original schedule.
Other affected services at Ayodhya included the Air India Express flight IX1284/1274 from Delhi, Akasa Air's QP1607/1608, and another SpiceJet service, SG443/444, originating from Mumbai.
Major Chaos at Lucknow's Chaudhary Charan Singh Airport
The impact was most severe at Lucknow's airport, which serves as a major aviation hub for the state. Authorities reported that around 31 flights were delayed by periods ranging from over 30 minutes to a couple of hours. The situation was further compounded by nine flight cancellations.
The cancelled flights included a departure to Dammam and several arrivals from cities like Delhi, Dehradun, and Ras Al Khaimah. In a significant development, two international Flynas flights from Riyadh and Dammam were forced to divert—one to Delhi and the other to Jaipur, respectively.
Widespread Regional Impact and Passenger Woes
Varanasi's Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport also reported multiple flight delays, indicating the widespread nature of the adverse weather conditions. The persistent fog cover across North India has become a recurring winter challenge, testing airport infrastructure and airline operational resilience.
The disruptions caused considerable hardship for passengers, many of whom were left waiting for hours with uncertain timelines. Airlines were compelled to extensively reschedule their services, leading to a cascading effect on networks throughout the day. The incident highlights the vulnerability of air travel to extreme weather and underscores the need for robust passenger communication and contingency planning during the winter months.
