Dense Fog Disrupts Flights and Trains in North India; Delhi Airport Issues Advisory

Fog Disrupts North India: Dense fog enveloped various parts of Delhi-NCR, reducing visibility and thereby impacting train and flight operations.

Friday morning began with a minimum temperature of 9.6°C—marking the fifth consecutive cold day. Visibility dropped to near zero in parts of the capital, disrupting travel and daily routines.

An average air quality index (AQI) of 350 (very poor) was recorded at 8am compared to 318 (very poor) at 4pm on Thursday.

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Flight cancellations, delay at Delhi airport

At Delhi's Palam Airport, visibility fell to zero, while Safdarjung Airport reported just 50 metres. Although commercial flights continued operating, As many as 225 departing flights have been delayed and 11 cancelled so far at IGI Airport.

Many airlines' flights were also affected, even though the Delhi airport reported an average delay of five minutes for arrival flights and 11 minutes for departure flights, as per FlightRadar24.

IndiGo also issued a travel advisory cautioning passengers that dense fog could affect schedules in Amritsar and Guwahati. The airline mentioned that flights in Srinagar and Chandigarh were rescheduled due to low visibility. Travellers in Delhi, Bengaluru, and Lucknow were also advised to stay updated on flight statuses.

SpiceJet said its incoming and outgoing flights in Amritsar and Guwahati "may get affected" due to bad weather. The airline requested the passengers to "keep a check on their flight status."

On Thursday, over 300 flights were delayed with an average delay of 18 minutes. “CAT-III visibility procedures [which allow pilots to land even in low visibility] were in place at all three runways,” said India Meteorological Department (IMD) scientist RK Jenamani.

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Indian Railways train services impacted

The northern railway said at least 24 trains were delayed by over an hour due to the fog.

Meanwhile, the fog has hit train schedules as well with many trains departing and arriving in Delhi running late, while some routes are being operated with changed timings.

Dense fog is expected to remain over several cities in north India including Delhi, Lucknow, Bengaluru, Amritsar and Guwahati on Friday.

The IMD classifies fog as “dense” when the visibility is below 200 metres and as “very dense” when it drops below 50 metres. Zero visibility was reported on Thursday as well. The lowest visibility was 100 metres on Wednesday.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicts dense fog will persist across several cities, including Delhi, Lucknow, Bengaluru, Amritsar, and Guwahati. The IMD has also issued warnings for dense to very dense fog in various regions of Delhi, Rajasthan, Punjab, and Haryana, including cities like Kota, Amritsar, Sikar, and Ambala.

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