Thick, persistent fog continued to paralyse normal life across several states in northern India on Tuesday, with the national capital waking up to severely reduced visibility that crippled air and road traffic. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasts that the overcast and smoggy conditions are likely to persist throughout the day.
Airport Operations Grind to a Halt
Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport was among the worst hit. Authorities issued a fog advisory early on December 16, warning passengers of significant delays and disruptions. In an update on social media platform X, the airport stated that while flight operations were gradually recovering, lingering poor visibility continued to impact both arrivals and departures.
Passengers were strongly advised to confirm their flight's status with the respective airline before starting their journey to the airport. To manage the crisis, additional ground staff were deployed across all terminals to assist stranded travellers.
Scale of the Disruption: Hundreds of Flights Affected
The impact of the dense fog was most acutely felt on Monday, when low visibility over the National Capital Region (NCR) triggered large-scale cancellations and delays. Aviation industry executives reported widespread flight disruptions across northern India.
At Delhi airport, a major aviation hub that typically handles over 1,000 flights daily, the situation was critical. As per ANI reports, at least 228 flights were cancelled, comprising 131 departures and 97 arrivals. Furthermore, a minimum of five flights had to be diverted to nearby airports as visibility dropped to dangerous levels.
Airlines Swing Into Action with Advisories and Care Plans
Major airlines proactively communicated with passengers and activated contingency measures to deal with the ongoing crisis.
Air India cited dense fog over Delhi and northern India, which caused severe air traffic congestion and parking bay constraints at Delhi airport. This led to cascading delays and cancellations across its network. The airline's teams are assisting affected passengers with rebookings or full refunds. Anticipating continued poor visibility as per the IMD forecast, Air India has proactively cancelled select flights and activated its 'Fog Care' programme. This initiative ensures passengers are informed in advance and offered complimentary rescheduling or penalty-free refunds.
Similarly, IndiGo advised passengers that winter fog during early mornings is slowing down flight movements across the region. The airline urged travellers to check their flight status before leaving for the airport and assured that its teams were monitoring conditions and making operational adjustments to reduce inconvenience.
With the foggy conditions expected to linger, all travellers have been urged to plan their journeys ahead, allow considerable extra time, and stay consistently updated on flight schedules to navigate the persistent weather-related disruptions.
