Heavy fog severely disrupted air travel in Rajasthan on Tuesday, with Jaipur's airport bearing the brunt of the weather chaos. Eight flights were cancelled and one was diverted to Delhi as visibility plummeted to a mere 50 metres in the morning hours, officials confirmed. The persistent fog blanket left airlines scrambling and passengers stranded, with delays cascading throughout the day.
Flight Cancellations and Diversions
The operational havoc began early Tuesday when thick fog enveloped Jaipur International Airport. An IndiGo flight from Lucknow to Jaipur was forced to divert to Delhi. The list of cancelled flights was extensive, primarily affecting IndiGo's network connecting Jaipur with several key cities.
The cancelled services included:
- IndiGo flight 6E 7465 from Jaipur to Udaipur
- Flight 6E 7114 from Ahmedabad to Jaipur
- Flight 6E 7217 from Jaipur to Ahmedabad
- Flight 6E 7718 from Udaipur to Jaipur
- Flight 6E 7274 from Indore to Jaipur
- Flight 6E 7275 from Dehradun to Jaipur
- Flight 6E 7468 from Jaipur to Dehradun
- Flight 6E 7148, another service from Dehradun to Jaipur
Airlines Issue Advisories Amid Ongoing Disruption
IndiGo promptly issued a travel advisory, urging passengers to check their flight status before heading to the airport. The airline cited the challenging conditions, stating, "Dense fog in Jaipur continues to affect visibility, impacting flights operating to and from Jaipur. As conditions evolve, some services may experience delays, and a few may need to be cancelled depending on clearance and operational feasibility."
The low visibility was not confined to Jaipur. IndiGo also issued a separate advisory for Udaipur, warning that departures and arrivals to and from the city could experience delays due to similar weather conditions.
Passenger Ordeal and Cascading Delays
The disruption had a ripple effect, causing significant delays well into Tuesday evening. A Jaipur-bound flight from Mumbai was rescheduled three times, causing immense distress to travellers. In a poignant example, Palak Malpani, a relative of a passenger, took to social media platform X to highlight the crisis. She posted that a flight booked from Mumbai to Jaipur for a hospital emergency was rescheduled from 4:30 pm to 5:25 pm and then again to 6:10 pm.
Long-haul international travel was also impacted. A Jaipur-Dubai flight was delayed by over 10 hours after its incoming aircraft from Dubai was held up due to the poor weather in Rajasthan.
The situation underscores the vulnerability of air travel to severe weather during the winter months in North India. Passengers are advised to stay in close contact with their airlines for real-time updates and factor in possible delays when planning essential travel.
